Head on Collision
by ThriLLer89
Summary: "There's no happily ever after once the I love you's are said, only a head-on collision with reality. If you survive that then you can survive anything." -Sequel to Behind The Mask!-
1. Honeymooners

**A word to the readers: if you HAVEN'T read "Behind The Mask" before partaking in this story, there will most likely be some elements that may not make much sense as this IS a sequel. It's not **_**needed**_** I suppose… but for an all around better experience I highly recommend reading BTM first. Everything will tie together! (especially since my OC's will have a **_**much**_** bigger role this time around)**

**To those who **_**have**_** read it; welcome! I'm super stoked to be back with this sequel and I hope everyone enjoys it! I have my reservations when it comes to this whole 'sequel' thing, I'm just hoping everything comes out the way I want it to. But mostly I hope I don't let **_**you**_** guys down!**

**ALSO… after an intense debate and **_**a lot **_**of coaxing from PinkLotus27 (aka BrokenRose24) I've decided to throw in some lemons for ya'll… mainly because keeping their '**_**relations'**_** T-rated at this point would be difficult. (ESPECIALLY if you've read the M-rated scene from Behind The Mask.) lol… anyway, this story **_**does**_** earn it's M-rating at some points in this thing!**

**Okay…..**

***deep breath***

**HERE WE GO!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold!**

* * *

**Helga's POV:**

…_Buzz…_

…_Buzz…_

…_Buzz…_

…_Buzz…_

My phone continued to make an irritatingly annoying buzzing sound despite my loud groan of irritation at the intrusion of my peaceful state of relaxation. Keeping my eyes closed, my fingers blindly felt around the surface of my nightstand before finding the offending object. I craned an eyelid open to scan the screen.

'_U fell asleep in the middle of the day AGAIN, didn't u? GET UR ASS UP WOMAN! Class in 30. - Lou.'_

At the conclusion of Louis' text message both of my eyes shot open, "Oh holy _CRAP_!" I threw my blanket off my waist and hopped up in preparation for my inevitable scrambling before class. "SHIT-!" my feet got tangled in a mass of clothes that had been gathering on my floor for the past few months, which in turn caused me to meet the floor with an embarrassing thud. Despite the dull ache I now had in my elbow I managed to slip on a pair of jeans and an old pair of Converse. I put on the closest clean shirt and paused at my mirror to at least fix my hair. I ran the comb through my hair several times before putting all of it up in a high ponytail. "_Good enough,_" I muttered. A rustling sound coming from behind me suddenly caught my attention. From the reflection in the mirror I saw a half naked and very bleary eyed football head slowly sit up from my bed, hair sticking up all willy-nilly and an adorable look of innocence written across his face.

-_no time for his cuteness. Class in 30... Keep it together_!

"_Baby_?" his eyes began focusing a little better as he realized my state of urgency as I flailed around the room in search of my bag.

"I'm not telling you again! For the _billionth_ time Arnoldo, I don't _do _pet names. Helga G. Pataki is NOBODY'S '_baby_'. Capiche?" After several moments of angrily looking I found my bag on the hook Arnold had installed on my wall a few days ago that was intended for avoiding this very situation. I myself never put my bag on the hook, it was always Arnold doing it when I wasn't looking.

As I was hastily stuffing my books into my bag a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I almost instantly melted into his embrace. "You need to relax a little sometimes." he murmured against the back of my neck, followed by a soft open mouthed kiss against the sensitive flesh.

"We gotta stop it with the midday quickies football head… they lead to prolonged sleep! Now I _really_ gotta go. I'm running late!" I pulled away from him entirely and slung my bag over my shoulder. "And _you've_ gotta get to class in a little less than an hour too, remember?"

Before I could take two steps away he pulled me back into him until we were face to face. His half lidded gaze remained unfazed by my crabbiness. The tips of his fingers slipped underneath the hem of my shirt, gently stroking my lower back before linking his fingers together around me. Needless to say he was making it very difficult for me to stay crabby. He gazed lovingly at my face for several moments before leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine. He pulls away just far enough to whisper, "_We'll set an alarm next time_." and he dives in for another kiss that lasts a little longer.

Remembering I have a class on the other side of campus in less than 20 minutes I reluctantly pull away from him. "You are one giant distraction! Who knew _you_ were such a bad influence football head?" I smirked.

"If I recall correctly, _you_ were the one who dragged us in here this afternoon Miss Pataki." he grabbed me by my chin, "But if you'd like me to… _influence_ you…" in the blink of an eye he managed to get his hands on me yet again, this time he went directly for my jean clad butt as he drove us back into the wall so he could efficiently grind his hips into mine.

"We _really_ don't have time for this Ar-… Arnold!" his teeth softly sunk into my shoulder. A loud, sexy growl escaped him when I shied away from his advances.

Arnold was typically a reserved and enigmatic type of person to the public eye. He was always well composed and gentlemanly. I was quickly discovering since we've been sleeping together that behind closed doors he wasn't always so well behaved. Some days he would take it slow and be extremely sweet, yet days like today he pulled out the big guns and a creature I like to call "dark Arnold" makes his appearance.

Without warning he pulled away completely, a gigantic smirk etched on his face. His cheeks were flushed and lips slightly swollen. "Class… You should probably go."

"You're… _evil_!" I slapped his bare chest. "Ugh!"

"But you love me." he chuckled, subtly running his hand over the new red spot on his chest. "Now get going! I'll call you later, okay?" he pushed me out the door with a final slap to the butt.

"Payback will be a bitch!" I called over my shoulder.

* * *

"Well well well… Look who decided to show?" Louis glanced away from his computer screen to study me as I plopped down next to him for our English class. "Class started 15 minutes ago. What took you so long?"

I began taking out my notebook and scribbling down whatever was on the overhead projector, "I had more pressing matters to attend to."

He took one look at me and narrowed his eyes, "Arnold."

"We fell asleep, okay? I never remember to set an alarm." I defended. "Either way it's not a big deal."

"You've been late _five_ times this semester Helga! We're only a month into class. Think about it, you've only been with Arnold two weeks. Four out of the five times you were late was after you two started dating… It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together-"

"Don't." I snapped. "Don't blame our relationship. Arnold has nothing to do with my tardiness."

"You _do_ realize you two are currently in your 'honeymoon' phase, right?" his eyebrow raised slightly. "Every relationship starts out with rainbows and sunshine until you have your first _real_ fight."

"I'm well aware of the infamous honeymoon phase, Louis." our professor began talking up front, changing the slide on the overhead projector. "But luckily for me and Arnold we bicker and fight _all_ the time. So there's no element of surprise between us."

"I'm not talking about arguing over hanging a hook on the wall. I'm talking about a _real_ fight… the kind of fight that shakes your relationship to the core and makes you question _everything_." he gave me a pointed look, "You'll know when it happens."

"Why are you trying to give _me_ advice anyway? You haven't had a girlfriend since I've known you, so forgive me for not finding your opinion valid."

He frowned slightly, turning back towards the front of the class, "_Ouch_."

I almost instantly began feeling guilty. Despite Louis' boyish good looks he always seemed to have terrible luck with the ladies. It was something Danny _loved_ teasing him about and I knew it was one of his biggest insecurities. Why must I always hone in on people's weaknesses?

"I'm sorry Louis… I didn't mean it like that." I sighed. "I'm just a little cranky and I shouldn't take it out on you."

Instead of looking over at me he nodded his head and began typing more notes on his laptop, "It's fine."

After our class ended Louis and I walked over to Rider's to meet up with Danny for dinner since Arnold had class and couldn't make it. Louis was still being uncharacteristically quiet, and I knew it was because of me. Everyone in the frat house loved giving Louis a hard time, and for the most part it never really seemed to get to him. But then there were moments like right now when I saw how truly bummed out he felt when it came to his misfortunes.

Danny of course couldn't help himself, "So what's up _your _ass tonight Louis? You look more pitiful than usual."

"Oh crimeny, shove it _Daniel_!" I spat.

"Are you his bodyguard now or what? Geez Pataki. Calm down!" he took a swig of his milkshake.

"I'm fine guys, really… I think I'm just tired. It _was_ a long weekend after all." Louis absentmindedly stuck a fry in his mouth. "That party was crazy and I hardly got any sleep."

"Party? You guys had a party?" I frowned. "I didn't know…" Ever since the blowout in the frat house basement me and Arnold haven't been back. For now we were reduced to meeting at the local eating establishments when everyone was free, and Arnold always made it a point to keep Gerald out of it. I wasn't too keen on bringing Gerald around either, but something about the way Arnold was acting when it came to Gerald was… disturbing. It was so unlike him to be _this_ angry at someone.

Danny ran a hand through his blonde hair, leaning back in his chair. "We called Arnold and text him a few times, but he said you two were busy." a smile spread across his face, "_You_ must have had a tiring weekend too."

"You are such a pig." my eyes rolled. "He didn't even tell me-" my sentence was cut off by a set of hands covering my eyes. The others fell silent and I found myself unsure who exactly had the nerve to actually touch me. "Listen bucko, I'm spoken for. If you don't get your filthy hands off of me my boyfriend is going to-"

"He's gonna _what_, exactly?" Arnold's voice filled my ears.

"Football head?" he removed his hands and pulled a chair close to mine and sat down. I glanced at my phone and looked at the time, "You're supposed to be in class."

"The teacher didn't show, so here I am!" unbeknownst to the others his left hand snaked up from my knee to my upper thigh and gave me a squeeze, followed by a stroke of his thumb. I was hoping and praying neither of the guys could see the distressed look on my face.

"Good to see you, man!" Danny offered his fist, which was met by Arnold's other hand.

"Hey Louis," Arnold smiled at him but received nothing in return. "You okay?"

"It seems Lou is having some _issues _this evening." Danny supplied.

"Danny…" I viciously tossed a fry at him across the table. "Just stop it!"

"Hey! Watch it Pataki! I have a date in an hour with Liz! I can't show up looking like a bum!" his inner Italian began showing as his hands shot in the air, followed by a few curse words none of us knew as he dabbed at his shirt with a napkin. You knew Danny was mad when he busted out the Italian curse words.

"Oh calm down you yutz!" I threw a ketchup covered fry that landed directly on his face. Arnold went into 'mama mode' and grabbed my hand, setting it back on the table as if punishing a petulant child.

After sulking for the past few hours Louis finally cracked a smile at the sight of Danny turning purple and livid. "This is beautiful… you've managed to turn him into Barney the dinosaur just by pelting him with fries." Danny's fist shot out and connected with Louis' shoulder. "OUCH!" he whimpered.

"Lay off, Danny…" Arnold's voice hardened as his fingers tightened against my thigh, causing me to squeak in surprise. "There's no need to get so worked up. Everyone is just messing around." he removed his hand from my thigh so he could wrap his arm around my shoulders and lean closer to my face. "No more throwing fries at the metrosexual across the table from us, okay baby?" a smirk slowly rose on his lips before leaning in for a kiss.

Danny scoffed at the 'metrosexual' comment while Louis gagged at our public display of affection. When Arnold's mouth disconnected from mine we both glanced over at the guys. Louis was wistfully looking off in the distance with a deep frown. Danny on the other hand was still wiping the ketchup off his face. Suddenly Louis scooted away from the table and stood up, "I'm gonna get another milkshake… be back in a sec."

Once Louis was out of earshot Arnold gave me a pointed look, "What's up with him today? Is he alright?"

I let out an indignant scoff "Why are you asking _me_ Arnoldo? It's not my fault…" my eyes shifted back and forth.

"Babe…" he glared. "_What_ happened?"

"I guess… I sort of… I don't know, _insulted_ him earlier? I told him I didn't value his opinion when it came to relationships because he hasn't been in one since I've known him-"

"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrn!" Danny lifted his finger and imitated a hissing noise.

Both of us slowly turned our heads to glare at him, "Not the time Danny…. Not the time." Arnold sighed. "so anyway, _that's_ what's bothering him so much? The whole girlfriend thing?" a look of realization hit him "We just _kissed_ in front of him! Ugh… now he must feel awkward!"

"He's a grown boy… I'm sure Louis is fine Arnold. Seeing us kiss wont make his eyes shrivel up and fall out." my fingers reached up to gently touch his cheek.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Danny watched us in disdain, "It was bad enough watching you two get all hot and bothered by each other when you were _friends_… Now we're subjected to watching you molesting her under the table while we pretend to not notice."

"How did you see-?" Arnold turned a bright red.

"I've perfected the art of publicly discreet dirty business." he smirked. "You on the other hand have a long way to go."

"Oh shut up!" I huffed, "_anyway_… I apologized to Louis but he's still acting all depressed."

Arnold set his chin in his palm and quirked his lips, obviously in deep thought. "Danny, when was the last time Louis went on an actual date?" my eyes traveled over to Danny only to discover he was running a comb through his hair. _Oh crimeny_…

"Uh… let's see…" he stared off into space momentarily with the comb tapping against his chin. "Freshman year?" An embarrassing amount of milkshake escaped my lips and landed all over our table. "Now that's just gross Pataki." he pushed his basket of milkshake covered fries away from him.

"His last date was with his _ex_?" my palms slapped against the table. "I've seen him with girls though… during parties and stuff."

"Louis somehow always manages to scare girls away. None of us really know how he does it.." Danny shrugged.

From the corner of my eye I could see a smile creeping on to Arnold's face. "Maybe what Louis needs is to go on a date! To get him out of this funk? We could set him up with someone, and-"

"NO." my hand slapped over his mouth. "No WAY Arnoldo! You're always trying to play cupid and meddle in other peoples lives! It rarely turns out well."

"That's actually a pretty wicked idea." Danny set his elbows on the table, "If he gets some confidence back then maybe he wouldn't feel so bad… And maybe he wouldn't spend his Saturday nights listening to me and Liz getting busy in the next room while he plays his guitar all by himself."

"Too much info bucko." I grimaced. "and if '_plays his guitar' _is some sort of euphemism for spanking his monkey I'm gonna hurl. Anyway-I'm putting my foot down! There's no way I'm letting you two mess with Louis-"

"Mess with me how?" he sat back down next to Danny as he took a sip of his milkshake.

"So Louis, how would you like to go on a _date_?" Danny's elbow nudged him in the arm.

Louis narrowed his eyes before smirking, "That's very sweet of you Stockton, but I'm just not into you that way. I hope we can still be friends though?" he snickered.

"Very funny." he deadpanned. "But I'm talking about a real date! With a girl… you know… with one that doesn't find you weird?"

"DANNY!" me and Arnold shouted in unison.

"You mean like a blind date?" when the other two nodded his frown returned. "I don't need you to set me up… and I don't need anyone's pity." he grabbed his milkshake and began to stand up again.

"We don't pity you Louis, not at all." Arnold coaxed, "You just seem so down lately. Maybe hanging out with… you know… a _girl_ might be refreshing?"

Louis' frown deepened, "Am I the fifth wheel now or what? Why do I need a girlfriend all of the sudden?"

"Don't listen to these bozo's Lou," I stood up with him and grabbed his arm. "I was wrong earlier, okay? I was only irritated that a _boy_ was offering me relationship advice." my hand reached up to playfully ruffle his raven locks. "You're kind of a dork… and yeah, some girls are turned off by that. _But_, not ALL girls are. But remember you're also sweet, funny…" I paused "And your whole constant 'sex hair' thing is pretty darn hot." I could hear Arnold scoff from behind me.

Louis' soft brown eyes fell to the floor in defeat before pulling away from my grasp and plopping back down in his seat. "Okay guys… I'll do it-"

"WHAT?" I roared.

_Does NOBODY listen to me?_

"Awesome!" Danny grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him excitedly. "I know the _perfect_ girl!"

"No hookers." Louis glared.

"Well, fuck." he pouted.

"Leave the girl to me!" Arnold grinned from ear to ear. "I know who to ask."

"How many girls do _you_ know Arnoldo?" I slapped him over the shoulder.

Arnold reached out and took my hand, "Think about it Helga… who do we know that has a taste for… _different_ guys?" his eyebrows raised. I could feel my heart dropping into my stomach at the realization of which girl he meant.

"_Lila._" I seethed.

* * *

The day after Louis stupidly agreed to go on the blind date with Lila, Arnold immediately sought out little miss perfect to ask her. He was totally disregarding my feelings towards the subject and needless to say I was pissed at him. Neither Arnold or Danny were considering what possible implications it could lead to if Louis got his heart broken. It was bad enough when Danny wanted to set him up with a hooker, but _Lila_ was a whole different ballgame. She had become an infamously unintentional heartbreaker over the years. She compared nearly every man to Arnold's freakish cousin Arnie. He was undoubtedly '_the one that got away_' in her eyes. When Arnold came back to my dorm room later that day, ecstatic and shouting; "_She said yes! Can you believe it? This is too perfect!_" I had finally snapped.

I shoved my idiot boyfriend through the doorway and slammed the door in his face and I haven't spoken to him since. How could I be the _only_ one thinking this is a terrible idea? Sure, Louis was in a funk, but that didn't mean he needed to go out with a girl to feel like he was worth something! I spent far too much of my life in Louis' position, feeling awkward and unwanted. I didn't want him to be put through the ringer just to be let down at the end of the day, and I wasn't about to show support in Arnold's misguided endeavor. We hadn't gone this long incommunicado since our last major fight, but it wasn't like Arnold didn't try and contact me. I got several daily phone calls and text messages _begging _me to speak to him, and he even waited for me outside a few of my classes so he could follow me and continue to beg. He even sent _Danny_ to my dorm one day to ask for forgiveness. I knew Arnold was desperate when he sent that dunderhead to do his biddings; "_So um… Arnold is like, sorry and stuff. He won't quit whining! Can't you just get over it?_"… Danny undoubtedly went home with a limp in his step that day.

I had barely gotten back from my classes for the day when Arnold showed up at my door yet again, pounding away like there was no tomorrow. "_Baby, PLEASE!_ _I'm begging you! No more of the silent treatment. Can't we at least try and talk?_" As he stood outside my door and whined I sat at the end of my bed holding the photo of us from Saint Patrick's day in my hand, staring at the puncture I had made through his left eye. Maybe it _was_ time to let the little idiot plead his case. It wasn't like he was intentionally trying to upset me…

I tossed the photo on the mattress and swung the door open. It took me a moment to realize Arnold was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Laying at his side was a bouquet of white tulips tied together with a red bow. When our eyes met he almost instantly shot up to his feet to brush himself off. "Hey…" he nervously ran his hand across the back of his neck. "Um… these are for you!" the bouquet was thrust into my line of vision.

I slowly pushed his hand and the bouquet away. "You got me… _flowers_?"

"Grandpa always told me when I was younger that when a lady is upset with you it's best to show up at her doorstep to bring her flowers and a smile." he got down on one knee and held the bouquet up as an offering, smiling hopefully at me. "I love you Helga, and I'm sorry I didn't listen when you asked me to. I need to consider your feelings as well now that we're together, and I need to remember that my actions can and will affect more than myself now." his other hand reached out and took mine, "Can you forgive me?"

Who was I to deny _that_ guy?

"Yes football head… I suppose I can." I took the flowers and motioned for him to stand up. I was almost instantly pulled into his arms and lifted off my feet as he twirled me in a circle. He carried me inside my dorm and pressed me up against the door as it closed, "You know Arnold… You're actually kind of _cute_ when you act desperate." my legs inched higher and higher until they were wrapped firmly around his waist.

His lips brushed against my neck, "_I missed you_."

Remembering the reason behind our argument, I began tugging on his hair until he was no longer kissing my neck and he was looking at me, "He's still going out with her tomorrow, isn't he?" Arnold dropped his head onto my shoulder and groaned, setting me back on my feet and releasing me. "Do you _really _think Lila is gonna go for a guy like Louis? She likes simple minded boys who snort their mucus like it's cocaine. Louis isn't any of those things."

"Sometimes the most unlikely people end up together, baby." his arms snaked around my waist, "We're practically the poster children for abnormality."

I tossed the bouquet over on my desk so I could wrap my arms around him. "If you really believe this is what he needs… then I guess I'm gonna have to trust you football head."

"I explained the situation to Lila and she still seemed interested in getting to know him. We have to give her a chance to at least meet him and make a judgment for herself." his hands reached up to cup my face in his palms. "Everything will be okay," he leaned in and kissed me briefly. "Now… we have another matter to attend to. I was hoping to ask you something."

"Like what?" I grinned, "And if this is about wanting to try that… _thing _you've been dying to try, I'm still against it!"

"No," he chuckled. "It's not _that_… I was actually supposed to invite you to the frat house tonight for poker."

"_What_?" my eyes widened "But- but I thought…"

"_He_ won't be there." Arnold scowled. "He has a date… and we all know how _his_ dates usually go-"

"At the Motel 6 with a cheap six pack of beer and a fistful of Trojans." I chuckled at the memory of Gerald regaling the frat with the many tales of his infamous dates. "So you're really okay with going there? It won't be too weird?"

"As long as he stays far away from me, I'll be fine." he reassuringly rubbed my arm. "So do you want to go?"

"Of course I do! We haven't played poker in forever. I've kinda missed it."

"Awesome!" he grinned, "but first…" before I could ask what he meant he grabbed me by the waist and tossed me on the bed, following quickly after and landing in between my legs. He sat up and unbuttoned my jeans and began pulling them down with a mischievous look on his face, his fingers skated across my bare thighs. "What good is making up without a little more…." his fingers teasingly dipped between my legs and grazed my core over my underwear "… _making up_?"

I took a sharp breath and met his lustful gaze "_Fuck_," I sat up and pulled my shirt over my head in one swoop, "Let's fight more often."

* * *

Arnold's fist rapidly knocked on the front door of the frat house, a look of apprehension was still etched on his face. He said that he was okay with being at the place where Gerald _lived_, but I was getting a strong feeling that wasn't the case. During our walk to the frat house he was eerily silent and detached. I didn't like seeing him like this at all.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay with this Arnold? Because we can always-"

"I'm _fine_ Helga!" his lips curled into a smirk as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I promise-"

The front door swung open revealing Liz. Arnold and I both jumped back in surprise, "Hey you two!" she beamed. "It's been a while…"

"Hey Liz!" Arnold held his arms open for a hug, which she affectionately leaned in to. There was nothing weirder than watching my boyfriend hugging a five foot eleven auburn haired woman in an apron that says '_blow the cook_' with a gigantic arrow pointing down to a cut out hole in the crotch. The apron _obviously _belonged to the frat house.

Before I could slip past her without incident she managed to pull me in for a hug as well. "Okay, OKAY!" I pushed myself free from her grasp and went inside. "Enough of the love fest, we came here to play cards am I right?"

"Still feisty as ever I see." her fists landed on her hips. "Danny is in the living room working on a demo for atmospheric dispersion modeling in his environmental chemistry class." both of us stared blankly at her, mouths agape. "_Anyway_, Louis is in his room. He's been kind of quiet this evening. Usually he joins me in the kitchen when I bake cookies so he can eat the dough." she absentmindedly brushed off some of the flour that had accumulated on the apron. "Speaking of which, I need to go check on them!"

As Liz bolted off to the kitchen I grabbed Arnold's hand and dragged him into the living room to round up the boys for poker. "DANNY!" I screeched.

"Hold your horses Pataki! GEEZ. Some of us actually have homework to do!" Danny was bent over the edge of the couch cushion and hovering in front of his laptop with a look of utter concentration. Danny was always a completely different person when it came to school work. The total airhead everyone knew in the frat house was actually extremely intelligent in a classroom setting. His major was in environmental engineering… needless to say most of his classes went _way_ over our heads.

"Whatever bucko. Is Louis still in his room?" he simply nodded in response. Arnold and I shared a look before he covered his ears in preparation, "LOUIS!" I roared. Danny jumped in surprise and fell off the cushion and immediately began cursing in Italian, glaring heavily at me. However, there was no response from Louis. "I'll go get him.." I pointed towards the poker table, "Arnold go set up and I'll meet you in there."

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted me and took off into the other room.

As I got closer to Louis' bedroom I could hear that he was playing his guitar with the door open. "Lou?" I stopped in the doorway to observe him. He was sitting on the edge of his bed with the guitar resting against his thigh as he idly plucked at the strings, moving his fingers along the neck of the guitar. He was so focused that he hadn't even noticed I was there yet. I cleared my throat and knocked on the doorframe.

He finally glanced up from his guitar, "Oh… Helga, hey! I didn't realize it was 9 already. You ready for poker?" he set his guitar in the stand on the floor at the end of the bed and rubbed his eyes with vigor in an attempt to wake himself up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Louis obviously hadn't slept well for the past few days, given he had bloodshot eyes with bags underneath them, plus his hair had completely lost its luster and was hanging limply in front of his eyes.

"Can I come in?" I pointed to the spot next to him on the bed. He nodded slowly and patted the mattress. "What's going on with you Louis? You look like a washed out crack head. The last time I checked your drug of choice was a pixie stick."

"I'm alright Helga… a little stressed out, but alright." his eyes darted around the room to avoid my gaze. Taking the advice I learned from Arnold over the years I hesitantly reached out and cupped his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze, hoping he would realize my welcoming intentions. He glanced at my hand and let out a heavy sigh of defeat, "Look, I-… I appreciate the fact that Arnold and Danny want to help… even if it's a little misguided… But-" his brown eyes finally met mine, "I'm never going to live up to the expectations others have of me, I never have and never will."

I've never been good at comforting people or being extra sensitive, but if I've learned anything from Arnold in my lifetime it's that encouragement can do wonders for a person. "You may not believe it Louis, but I think you're one of the most normal guys I've met since starting college." when he began to protest I held my hand up to silence him, "You view yourself so negatively and now it's been starting to reflect in your personal relationships, mainly with girls. Maybe what you need _isn't _this date… but who's to say Lila won't help you in some other way? She's a little bit of a do-gooder who gets on my nerves… but she's pretty wise when she wants to be. Give her a chance, and most importantly-" I grabbed him by the shoulders "Give yourself a break, man! Have fun! Enjoy the companionship for a night.."

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he enveloped me in a hug, squeezing my shoulders. "_Thank you._"

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke us apart. Liz was leaning against the doorframe and watching us in amusement, "The table is set up and snacks are on the way." she gestured for us to follow.

"Ready to whoop Danny's ass?" I stood up and took him by the hand and pulled him to his feet. He gave me a playful nudge and slung his arms over my shoulders as we walked down the hall, it seemed like he was going to be okay for now. As we approached the poker table I noticed Liz was seated next to Danny with her elbows on the table. "Wait… _She's_ playing too?" I plopped down in my chair next to Arnold with a frown, "Liz, do you even know _how_ to play poker?"

Danny and Liz shared a knowing look "Well…" she picked up the deck of cards and fanned them in an effortless backwards shuffle without a single card out of place. "When your dad is a professional poker player you tend to pick up a few tricks."

Danny excitedly wiggled around in his seat and pointed at his girlfriend with exaggerated enthusiasm, "_I love this woman!_"

It didn't take long for Liz to start robbing us blind and serving us our heads on a platter. Out of the many talents she possessed, I never figured a _card shark_ was one of them. "So why didn't you ever join us for poker before?" Arnold tossed one of his chips in the pot that was inevitably going to end up in Liz's possession.

"It would feel like I was interrupting boys night!" she met my gaze as if saying '_sorry_'. "But anyway, I always figured we could use some time by ourselves sometime. Spending too much time with _him_ could drive a person nuts!-"

"Hey!" he chuckled "Like you're always a ray of sunshine-" The sound of the front door opening caused all of us to wordlessly turn our heads in that direction.

_Oh no…_ _please let it be ANYONE but Gerald… Rapists? A murderer? Cannibals? JUSTIN BIEBER?_

"You guys would not _believe_ the night I had-" Gerald walked into the foyer with a disgruntled look towards his frat brothers. All color drained from his face at the sight of me and Arnold. "What the-?" his eyes scanned the contents of the table. "… I'm guessing I came home a little early…"

The tension in the air was unbearable. Arnold was snarling under his breath and gripping the edge of the table so harshly that his knuckles had turned bone white, while Danny and Louis were at a loss for words at Gerald's _much_ earlier arrival than anticipated. I hesitantly reached under the table until my hand made contact with Arnold's thigh, he almost instantly smacked it away with the back of his hand. I turned towards him with a glare on my face and my teeth clenched, "_Calm… down…_"

"Care to join us for some poker, Gerald?" Liz suddenly jumped in. Everyone turned to give her a seething glare. "What?" she held her hands up defensively.

Arnold turned back towards Gerald and finally made eye contact with him. His eyes narrowed in disgust. "I'm out." he pushed himself away from the table and got up in a hurry.

"Arnold!" I called out to no avail. Before I could get to my feet he had pushed past Gerald and offered him an unsettling glare before storming out, closing the front door with a loud bang that caused a picture frame to fall off the wall. Everyone winced at the sound of shattering glass scattering across the wood floor. For the first time since Gerald came in our eyes met, there was no spark left in him at all anymore. He looked downtrodden at Arnold's refusal to even be in the same room as him.

"Bro-" Danny cleared his throat, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about inviting them over while you were out. That's my fault-"

"Forget about it." he gazed down at his shoes, "I'm gonna go."

"You don't have to do that Gerald." I walked over towards him only to see him retreat a few steps back from me. "This is your home… _I'll_ leave." I reached for the door handle but Gerald was quicker. He nudged me out of the way and left without another word.

A wave of guilt began washing over me. If I hadn't been so mean and nasty to Gerald and Arnold when we were growing up none of this would have ever happened. Gerald wouldn't have tried to protect Arnold from me for so many years and the two of them would still be best friends. Everyone's lives would have turned out differently…

"_Shit…_" I groaned. "_Way to go Helga…_"

* * *

"-and thus concludes my presentation on the evolution of Shakespearian works. Thank you." I held my stack of index cards in front of me with my other hand outstretched. After a moment of silence I tossed a few of the cards over my shoulder and on to my bed, "Shit… that's too corny even for _me_." I began scribbling down several notes in a vain attempt to better my upcoming presentation. "Let's see… '_in conclusion_', ugh no! Too stiff-"

"What was wrong with the original ending again? I liked it!" Arnold glanced up from his geography book with his eyebrow raised.

My body dramatically collapsed next to his "I have to make this perfect football head! All of these distractions the past few months caught up with me. Big Bob will rip my head off if my GPA falls below a 2.5"

He tossed his book to the side of the bed and wrapped one of his arms around my waist. "Speaking of which… have you told your parents about us yet?"

"No…" I frowned. "It's not like they really care who I _fornicate_ with anyway. Bob would probably stuff condoms and money into your pocket and beg you to take me far away."

Arnold sighed and sat up on his elbow, tightening his grip on my waist before leaning down for a kiss. "We should tell them, together. It would mean a lot to me if your parents knew about our relationship."

"What about _your_ family Arnold?" my eyes narrowed at him, "if I recall correctly your family was under the assumption we were strictly friends." my bottom lip protruded slightly with a pout.

"We'll tell my family in time. But I'm warning you now that my grandma is probably going to start planning a wedding and calling you Mrs.-" his sentence was cut off by the shrill ring of my phone.

'_Can u meet me at Rider's? 20 minutes? - Lou'_

It was only 9 o'clock and Louis' date with Lila had only started an hour ago, "Oh no…" my eyes widened. "Oh _NO_! I knew it! Shit!-" I scrambled off the bed to slip my shoes on.

"Whoa, baby what happened?" Arnold swung his legs off the bed and stood up so he could hold me still and get some answers. I thrust my phone in his face so he could see the message. His eyes widened exponentially, "B-but…. _how_? How do you screw up a date with Lila Sawyer? She nearly _drowned _during my date with her at the cheese festival all those years ago and she still had nothing but nice things to say to me! Ugh!-" he pulled away from me and began pacing.

"I have to go see if he's okay, Arnold… I encouraged him to go for this yesterday, and now I… I feel like-"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, "It's my fault Helga. I'm the one who got him to agree in the first place. Don't blame yourself, okay?" his lips lingered on the crown of my head as his hands rubbed my shoulders reassuringly. "But you should go see if he's okay…" he sighed "I've gotta be heading back to my dorm anyway. Eugene is out on the town tonight with his drama club friends, so I'll have the place to myself. I should enjoy the peace and quiet while I can."

"I'll call you later." I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his mouth down to mine for a brief kiss.

During my walk to Rider's my mind was racing with things I could say to Louis. I was hoping things didn't go TOO badly for the poor guy. I was inadvertently involved with this whole debacle even though I was completely against it from the start, but it didn't stop me from feeling guilty. _Something_ obviously happened that caused Louis and Lila's date to end _very_ early. But _what_? As I got closer to Rider's I picked up my pace, rushing towards the glass door to peek inside and look for Louis. It didn't take long to spot him in the corner of the room, hunched over with his head in his palm. Several empty milkshake cups lay scattered around his table. Taking a deep breath I opened the door and made my way over towards the disheartened mans table. I grabbed the seat next to his and cautiously sat down, "Hey…" I offered lamely.

The only emotion registering on his face right now was one of frustration, "Hey…" he mimicked.

"Do I need to ask? Or are you gonna tell me?"

He seemed to ponder something for several moments, "Everyone teases Arnold's roommate for being a jinx. But really? I'm starting to think _I'm_ the jinx." his fingers tightened around his milkshake cup.

"Tell me what happened, dude…" I took the cup from his hands and moved it away from him.

"I picked her up for dinner, and to start off the night I banged her elbow with the car door. Of course she said that was fine and we went to dinner in good spirits." his facial expression darkened, "So tell me… How does one person manage to spill red wine all over his dates powder blue dress, break her dead mothers necklace, and _oh yeah; _I caught the end of her hair on fire with the candle that was sitting on our table!" he slammed his fist on the our table.

"You… lit Lila on _fire_?" the pitch of my voice heightened. He groaned into his palms and nodded, "Well, shit!" I began cackling uncontrollably. Louis on the other hand didn't find this funny at all, he sent me a very angry glare in response. After a moment my laughter subsided, I wiped a few stray tears from my eyes before slinging my arm over his shoulders. "You had a terrible date, sure… but that doesn't mean you're a _jinx_. Eugene has managed to barbeque his hand in a toaster, fall down an open manhole, _and_ get his testicle bit by a piranha. Eugene somehow _always_ finds the good in every situation! And that means you can't let this experience get to you!"

"Maybe I'm just meant to be a bachelor for the rest of my life." he sighed.

"Aw come on Lou!" I gave him a little shake, "The right girl for you is somewhere out there! Look on the bright side-…. Or some crap like that, I don't know. Positivity is Arnold's forte." I muttered. "Either way, you need to brush this off! Get back up on the saddle-"

"Helga? Oh thank _GOD_!" an irritating voice called out in the distance. I didn't have to look to know who it was.

"_Rhonda_." I turned my head towards the annoying sound of her voice. She was pushing her way through the crowds of people at Rider's. "Get lost princess. I have no time for your crap tonight, or _ever_ for that matter."

She shimmied through the crowd until she was at our table. Her hair and clothes were slightly rumpled and she was panting, "I've been avoiding Curly _all_ night! He followed me and my friends to the club and wouldn't leave me _alone!_" she flicked her wrist in the air "The nerve of that man, I swear! Does he _not_ know when he isn't wanted?"

"I was kind of wondering the same thing." I removed my arm from Louis' shoulder and crossed my arms in front of me. "Now go away!"

"RHONDA MY LOVE! You can run, but you can't hide!" Curly's baritone voice singsonged through Rider's.

"Oh Cuuuuurly!" I hollered.

The top of Curly's head popped up. He began getting closer to us, "_Shit_!" Rhonda frantically scanned the room before setting her sights on Louis, her lips curved to the side in contemplation.

"My love!" Curly appeared a few feet away from our table.

"Oh, darling!" Rhonda suddenly sprung on Louis, sitting directly in his lap and startling the hell out of him. Her fingers raked through his raven locks before pulling his mouth to hers in a searing kiss for everyone to see.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" I screeched.

Louis remained wide eyed and paralyzed in Rhonda's grasp. Everyone in the room could see her slipping him the tongue. I was physically unable to rip her off of him, I was frozen in shock and horrified all at the same time. My stomach lurched as Louis slowly closed his eyes and began returning her kiss, setting his hands at her waist and angling his head. Curly stood there in horror, mouth agape at the sight of his dream girl making out with another guy. He let out a dramatic '_humph!_' and began pushing his way through the crowds again. When I looked back at Louis and Rhonda they were both _really _getting into that disgusting kiss.

"He's gone Rhonda!" I growled, but the two of them didn't flinch. "I SAID HE'S GONE!" my hand reached over and slapped Louis' arm, finally causing them to break apart. Both of them were panting heavily and giving each other an awkward stare.

"Hi." Louis finally spoke up, still a little breathless. "Louis Ross." he removed his hand from her waist and held it out to her for a handshake. If that wasn't the worst pickup line I've ever heard after making out with a strange girl you haven't known for longer than 2.5 seconds, then I'll be damned.

"Rhonda Wellington Lloyd." she smirked, taking his hand and shaking it softly. "Louis Ross, huh? You're the guy everyone calls '_ass fire_', am I right?" All color drained from his face and his mouth hung open slightly.

"Low blow Rhonda… especially since he just _made out_ with you to get rid of Curly. Do us a favor and get lost, okay?" I stood up and pulled her off of Louis' lap. "You used him for your dirty work, now _go_."

"Why Helga, what kind of person would I be if I didn't compensate such a… _handsome_ gentleman for helping me in my moment of need?"

"Don't even think about it _princess_." both of us glared at one another, leaning in until we were almost nose to nose. "The only compensation he'll need is money to pay for his insanely expensive herpes treatment after swapping spit with the likes of _you_."

"Whoa," Louis stood between us with a hand on each of our shoulders. "I can make my own choices Helga. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. But thank you for your concern."

"B-but!"

Rhonda held her hand in front of my face, shushing me. "You heard him Helga." she focused back on Louis with a sugary sweet smile, "Care to join me for drinks? My treat." her eyelids fell into a sultry half lidded gaze. "It's the least I could do."

"Oh _crimeny_." I growled. "Do you know how many guys she's probably '_taken_ _for_ _drinks_'? Come on dude! She's like that first piece of bread in the loaf; everyone puts their hands all over it but nobody _really _wants it!" Rhonda let out an appalled gasp.

"You're being _way_ harsh Helga." he frowned. "All she's done is ask me to join her for a drink. There's no harm in that."

"You know what? Fine… go out with her for drinks if that's what you want. Just don't come crying to me when she leaves you for someone with a better head of hair, or a better 401-K plan. And oh yeah Lou, keep her away from any open _flames_!" I grabbed my bag off the table and stormed out.

During my trek back to campus I pulled out my phone and dialed Arnold's number, "_Hey baby_." he answered enthusiastically. "_Is Louis alright? Do you need backup?_"

"He's fine Arnoldo." I muttered into the receiver, "Anyway, is Eugene out of the dorm still?"

"_Yes…_" he paused. "_Why? Helga are you SURE everything is okay? You sound irritated._"

"I'm peachy. _Just_ fine. Anyway, I'm coming over right now, so put away your dirty magazines and lube."

"_WHAT? Helga… I don't do…. That._" he took an exponentially long pause after I scoffed at him. "… _Well, since we started dating._"

"You know what? Change of plans Arnoldo, keep the lube handy. We'll try that… _thing_." I smiled to myself while trying to picture the look on his face right now. I'd imagine he was thrusting his fist into the air with a large grin plastered all over his face.

He took a deep breath on his end to compose himself, "_… See you in a few._"

Too bad he didn't know I was kidding.

* * *

"I can't believe you're _that _upset about this Arnoldo." I playfully bounced up and down on Arnold's bed with a grin on my face. His bottom lip was protruding in an obviously disapproving pout and comically bouncing up and down unwillingly with my every jump against the mattress he was currently sitting on. I stopped jumping and knelt down in front of him until he would look at me. My voice took a softer tone, "Arnold, you knew already that I really don't want to do… _that_." I set my hands on his knees and leaned in for a kiss, plunging my tongue between his perfectly pouted lips. He moved his head away and continued to brood. I was absentmindedly rubbing his kneecaps when I was suddenly struck with an idea. My grin reappeared and I gave his knees a squeeze and slowly began moving my hands towards his upper thighs, kneading the flesh that was hidden underneath his pajama pants as I went. "How about I make it up to you?" My hand brazenly cupped his crotch and gave him a gentle palming.

"I'm not in the mood anymore Helga, stop it." he firmly grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from his groin.

"Are you sure I can't… _sway_ you football head?" I sat up on my knees again and slipped my shirt over my head in one fluid motion. Despite being perturbed with me his eyes raked over the newly exposed skin before looking away quickly with a huff. "Come on Arnold…" I cupped him again with more purpose, running my fingers along his semi hardened shaft. He was desperately trying shy away from my demanding touch. I leaned over him until my lips brushed against his ear "_Let me take care of you_.." His face contorted in frustration, he was obviously trying to fight his urges. Several of my fingers slipped inside the hole of his pajama bottoms and boxers and sought out his cock, wrapping my fingers around the velvety skin and sending a pleasurable jolt through his body.

"_Helga_…" he whimpered, followed by a sigh mixed with relief and protest as my fingers released him. I flicked open the button of his pajamas and stuck my whole hand in there to seek out my intended target. I tugged his manhood through the hole and gave him a few gentle strokes, his head flew back against his pillows and his hips arched up off the bed. "B-but… _Eugene-… ugh… _Eugene could be back any minute Helga."

I continued pumping him at a steady pace and never took my eyes off of him, watching him react to my touch was one of the hottest things I could ever experience. "It isn't like the world hasn't gotten a good look at your junk _before, _Arnold…" his head snapped up, a weak glare was etched across his face but he was having a hard time keeping up the front while my hands were on him. I released him and laid down between his legs, propping myself up with my elbows on either side of his hips so my face was directly in front of his now fully hardened dick. "So what was that about not being '_in the mood_', huh?" I placed a wet kiss against the underside of his shaft, causing him to whimper and twitch helplessly as his hips instinctively thrust towards the warmth of my lips.

His left hand tenderly touched the side of my face, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb as he gazed down at me with half lidded eyes. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know." my lips quirked to the side with a smirk, wrapping my hand around him once again and giving a none too gentle tug and swiftly enveloped him between my lips and teasingly swirling my tongue around him. His hips arched clear off the bed again as his fingers weaved into my hair. I released him with a satisfying pop and smirked at him, "I love you too." his other hand sought mine and laced our fingers together, bringing them to his lips and kissing them. In my eyes he looked absolutely beautiful from this angle, sweat was gathering at his forehead, his chest rising and falling heavily from the stimulation _I_ was giving him.

My right hand splayed across his abdomen, playing with the trail of hairs leading down to his most private area and caressing the powerful muscles that were underneath. His breath began picking up when my lips pressed against the base of his cock and placing open mouthed kisses, purposefully nudging his arousal with my nose and encouraging his uncontrollable breathing and spasms. Arnold sat up on his elbows to get a better look at me, "_Baby_.." he murmured. With our eyes locked on one another I placed him in my mouth again, slowly taking him in bit by bit. His teeth harshly raked across his lower lip as his eyebrows knitted together, his body tense with concentration. "_Shit_." he fell back again and covered his mouth with his pillow so he could moan louder without it alerting his neighbors that he was getting some. My fist was back to being wrapped snugly around his erection and moving with the tempo of my mouth, creating the first drops of his orgasm. I pulled my mouth away to collect the clear liquid from the tip and make my hand move with ease at the now slick base. "_Oh- OH_." his voice was still muffled behind the pillow before he moved it away from his face and tapped the top of my head "I'm close- _Mmm… Helga!_" he was thrashing wildly at the approach of his impending orgasm.

_Knock knock knock knock_

"_Arnold? HEY ARNOLD!_" a familiar voice called from the other side of the door.

_Danny…_

Arnold's eyes went wide, glancing at the door before glancing at me. Without thinking I stopped and removed myself from his nether regions to sit up. He looked absolutely horrified that I had stopped. "_We should answer the door._" I whispered.

"_But-… what about_…" he gestured downward, "_We were in the middle of something_!"

"_Calm down Arnoldo_." I held his chin between my thumb and index finger. "_I'll get rid of Danny and then…" _my hand grasped around his still very much erect penis, eliciting a squeak from him. Danny knocked against the cheap dormitory door with more vigor, "HOLD ON." I threw a pillow over Arnold's erection and stomped over towards the door, unlocking it and swinging the door open.

"HELGA, NO!-" Arnold gasped in horror.

Danny's eyes widened at the sight of me in the doorway. A fox-like grin adorned his face, "Well shit… it's not even my birthday."

"Huh?-" I followed his unwavering lustful gaze only to discover I had answered the door without a shirt on.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Arnold appeared in the doorway and stood between me and Danny so my partial nudity was hidden from him. Arnold had tucked himself back into his pajama bottoms, but his erection was still painfully obvious.

Danny caught sight of it instantly, "I see I've interrupted your freakish sexy time." his eyebrow quirked.

"Not now Danny… _Please_!" Arnold mouthed something else to him and gestured, but I couldn't tell what exactly he said.

"I'd gladly leave and forget I ever saw your boner _again_ in this lifetime." he held his hand up to keep Arnold's lower region hidden from his peripheral vision. Arnold's hands cupped over himself and subdued the strain in his pants so it was less visible. "Look, I know you might not want to hear this right now… But Gerald never came home after that incident yesterday. I've been calling and texting him all day and haven't heard a word back-"

"What does this have to do with _me_?" he seethed. The very mention of Gerald's name sent him into a subtle rage. "I'm not his keeper, and I can't help you." he began closing the door but was halted by Danny's strong arms and Converse-clad foot.

"I'm _worried_ about him Arnold. Genuinely worried." He pushed the door open until he could see Arnold's face again. "Things haven't been the same with him since that day in the basement. He feels like Satan's apprentice or something. He can't forgive himself-"

"GOOD." Arnold huffed. "He sabotaged every chance I had with the girl of my dreams for well over a decade. Why should I care-?"

"Because he's your best friend." I finally spoke up, tugging my shirt over my head and stood next to Arnold in the doorway with my arms crossed. "He's been your best friend since you were three years old, Arnold… You _do_ care."

"Helga-" he touched my shoulder, "I don't want to talk about thi-"

"No!" I snapped. "I'm tired of seeing you like this! You're cold and detached when it comes to Gerald. _GERALD!_ The guy who's been by your side all along… how can you just turn a blind eye when there's a possibility that he might need you?" my hand shot out and roughly grabbed his chin, "The Arnold I know and love wouldn't give up on someone regardless of how badly they screwed up."

He gave me a challenging glare before staring down at the ground with a frown. He knew that I was right. "_I can't_… I just _can't_ Helga. Gerald made his choice all those years ago, and now he has to accept that I won't come back to him with open arms and a smile. He'll have learned nothing at all if I did."

A realization came over me suddenly, "This is about making him feel _guilty_ isn't it Arnold? You WANT him to feel bad!… The way he made you feel after you found out what he did. You're getting revenge!" I turned towards Danny with my hands planted on my hips, "You know what Danny? _I'm_ going to find him. It's about time me and Gerald had our little '_showdown_' anyway."

"WHAT?" Arnold grabbed my arm "No. Helga! Why would you do that?"

"Because if _you_ aren't going to step up and be a friend, I _will._ He may not be my biggest fan, but it doesn't mean I'm not willing to at least try and make amends." I slipped on my shoes and went over to his dresser to find his bottle of mouthwash, taking a large swig and swishing it around in my mouth before spitting it in his trashcan. "Good night Arnold." I pushed him out of the way and stood next to Danny.

"Baby…" his eyes softened. "I don't want you to get yourself tangled up in this mess any more than you already are. Everything is complicated between me and Gerald-"

"_Good_. _Night_. _Arnold_." I said a little harsher and grabbed Danny by his wrist, dragging him towards the staircase in a hasty exit.

"Are you sure that was a smart move Pataki? He's gonna think you chose Gerald over him-"

"Now's not the time to play love doctor, Daniel!" my thoughts were still reeling from the potentially bad situation I just put my relationship into, and another part of me was wondering what happened to Gerald after he left the frat house last night. Where would he go? And why didn't he want to come home? "Danny, you should check the bars around the area just to make sure he isn't on a 24 hour pub crawl or something." I glanced at my watch, it was almost one in the morning. "Hmm…" I glanced up at the scattered stars visible in the sky, "_Where would Geraldo go_?"

"If we cant find him by morning…" he trailed off "I'm… gonna have to call his… _parents_."

"_Ugh_." we both cringed. "Check the bars… I have a few places in mind to look for him. I'll text you if I find him."

My first instinct was to look for Gerald at Mighty Pete, but the more I thought about it I realized there would be only one place in Hillwood that would remind him of simpler, better times. For the first time in well over a month I had to take my car out of its parking space to drive to the other side of town in hopes of finding the tall haired jerk. "_Gerald Field._" I muttered to myself as I pulled up to our old childhood hangout. After our generation grew up the lot became unkempt again. The trash was kept at a minimum but the grass was overgrown and weeds were running rampant. It was a pitiful sight indeed. "Gerald?" I called out into the dastardly remains of our old vacant lot. Several seconds of silence went by and no sounds could be heard.

As I was walking back to my car I heard a faint "_What are YOU doing here_?"

I turned on my heels back towards the field, "Gerald?"

"_Go away_." he growled from somewhere in the overgrown grass, still out of my sight. I forced myself to enter the waist high weeds and grass to try and look for him. I soon realized there was already a path from someone else. It didn't take me long to find Gerald hunched over against the brick wall and looking like he hadn't slept at all. He didn't even bother lifting his head to acknowledge my presence as I drew closer to him, "Why are you here Helga?"

"Because I was the only one besides Arnold who knew where you'd be." I hesitantly sat down next to him against the wall, waiting for him to protest but the protest never came. "Why are _you_ here?"

"I thought maybe I'd waste away in here along with my childhood memories." he muttered darkly.

"Okay, you've been reading too many of those teen romance books Geraldo." I nudged him with my shoulder. "Rotting away wont make you _or_ Arnold feel any better-"

"Is that why you're here? To speak on Arnold's behalf?" he finally turned his head to glare at me. "You should have nothing but unpleasantries to say to me right now anyway Helga. Isn't it what I deserve?"

"No… it _isn't_… I actually came here for my _own _reasons if you can believe that."

"Are you gonna knock me unconscious with a random sucker punch to the face like your boyfriend did?" his fingertips brushed against his now healed eye, wincing at the memory of Arnold's fist colliding with it.

"When you first told me, I seriously thought I hated you for what you had done." I waited for him to make eye contact with me before continuing. I wanted to know he was _listening_ to what I had to say, and lets face it… men aren't always the best listeners. His eyes slowly traveled back to mine and I continued, "I was a _terrible_ person towards a lot of people for many years… including you and Arnold. I terrorized you unfairly and in turn it made you resent me to the point of hatred. I grew up to regret being so harsh, and I'd like to think I've made progress towards becoming a better person. I'm not perfect and I'm still a bitch-" I chuckled, "But I've come to realize that second chances can make all the difference for a person... If actually _given_ that chance."

"I don't deserve a second chance." his voice wavered, "And for the record, you're not a _bitch_. I was wrong to treat you the way I did, and I'm ashamed of the things that happened now that I've had the chance to look back at the way everything went down. You're everything Arnold always wanted and yet I made it my mission to keep both of us away from you for as long as possible." he leaned closer, "I'm genuinely sorry for what I did… to _both_ of you."

"If _I_ can get a second chance in this world, _anyone _can Gerald. I'm willing to try being friends for _real_ this time around and work things out if you are… And I accept your apology." I offered my hand to him, "So what do you say… friends?" He stared at my hand for a moment before bypassing it completely, holding me loosely in a hug. It was strange for Gerald to be 'touchy feely' with any female whom he wasn't sleeping with, I don't think we had ever hugged since we've _known_ each other. Throwing all logic out the window I returned his hug. Intuition told me he _needed_ the contact with another human being. The past few months have been anything but easy for all of us, and even someone as pompous as Gerald needed a hug sometimes.

We slowly leaned out of the hug and stared at each other awkwardly, "Sorry." a faint blush was visible on his cheeks under the glow of the moonlight.

"Come on," I pushed myself back up to my feet and brushed the dirt off my jeans. "I'll take you home." I could vaguely hear Gerald rustling behind me as he got up to follow.

We got to my car and took off back towards Hillwood U in the dead of night. The car ride was mostly silent up until the moment I was dropping him off in front of the frat house. He leaned against the headrest for several moments with his brow furrowed in contemplation. "Why _are_ you being so nice to me Helga?"

His question caught me off guard. It was a valid question; _Why_? The first image that came to my mind was Arnold's face from a few weeks back, standing in the rain and holding an umbrella over my head and offering me forgiveness. "I'm paying it forward." Gerald seemed to understand exactly what I meant. With a final nod of his head he exited the car and went back into the frat house. The clock on the dashboard of my car read 2:45, and it was only then that I realized how truly tired I was. It had been a _long_ and emotionally draining day. All I wanted was to crawl into my bed and sleep for three days and forget this nightmare of a day ever happened, forget the image of Louis and Rhonda sucking face, forget the inevitable argument that would ensue with Arnold in the days to come, _everything_. I parked my car in its usual spot and greeted the campus security guard as I made my way towards Brennan Hall. I trudged upstairs to my dorm with my eyes barely open to slits. You knew you were up late when nobody in my dorm hall was awake. It was eerily silent.

"Home sweet home." I mumbled to myself, swinging my front door open and blearily tumbling inside. I let out an instinctual shriek when I realized I wasn't alone. Arnold flinched at the sound of my scream, "What are you _doing_ here football head? Crimeny!"

Something seemed off about him as he sat perched at the end of my bed, but I couldn't quite place what it was. "It's the middle of the night, Helga. I wanted to make sure you came home safe." he stood up and came over to me and pulled me into an embrace. I snuggled into him and closed my eyes as his nose pressed into my neck and nuzzled me softly. "_Did you find him_?" he murmured.

For all the denial and 'hatred' Arnold had been showing for Gerald, his question only proved to me that he _did_ care about him somewhere deep down inside, even if he didn't realize it _now._ "He was at Gerald Field." I pulled my head away from his neck and stroked his cheek with the back of my fingers, "Will you stay with me tonight?… _Please_?" He nodded, wordlessly walking us hand in hand towards the bed and crawling under the covers. I didn't even care that I was still in my jeans. All I wanted was for Arnold to hold me in his arms and help me forget about today. I laid on my side with my back towards him and used his bicep as my pillow while he spooned me. I was surrounded by his comforting scent and warmth, finally in the place I loved the most. Tomorrow we could deal with all the drama and hysteria of our day to day lives, but for now, this was all that mattered. I leaned into his body and let out a dreamy sigh, he moved almost robotically in response to accommodate my cuddling, tightening his grip at my waist. "_I love you_." I whispered into the silence of my dorm room. As I began drifting off to sleep, it suddenly hit me…

_He didn't say anything back._

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnd, end scene!**

**Holy freakin CRAPPOLA. I have been working on this thing pretty much daily ever since I made the announcement of the sequel. That being said; my brain is now a splattered mess on the floor. (haha)**

**As for what you just read: I do not blame anyone for saying "what the hell just happened right now?" There was A LOT to take in while reading this chapter. Every character has something going on at the moment, and its kind of all up in the air as to where they might land. Needless to say, I DO have a plan for everyone.**

**The OC's (Danny, Louis) have a bigger role this time around. But I assure you their storylines all weave into the Arnold/Helga storyline in some way. And also: Phoebe WILL be coming along shortly, because you know our favorite Japanese American will have something to say about Gerald being a naughty bastard. And as for Jason? You'll just have to wait and see…. Muahahahahaha!**

**Anyway, I'd love to hear from everyone! (positivity if possible! Haha) I don't think my heart could take blatant hate right now. A lot of my time went into this and I want to make it the best I can for **_**you!**_** This sequel is only being made because so many of **_**you**_** wanted it! I hope I did it some justice so far ;)**

**PS: I've skimmed over this thing the entire time I wrote it, but knowing me there's tons of mistakes. (hehe)... don't hold it against me!**


	2. The love you save

**First of all I'd like to thank EVERYONE for their kind words and support so far. A lot of time and creative effort is going into this thing! It means a lot that you're enjoying it!**

**So who's ready to see **_**more **_**of this storyline unfold? lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold!**

* * *

_*** Flashback ***_

**Arnold's POV:**

"Hey Trix." I placed a chaste kiss upon my girlfriend's cheek as I pulled up a chair next to hers. She had several books stacked at the library table she was sitting at and another one being held in front of her nose. "Sorry I'm late. My class ran a little longer than usual. I hope you weren't waiting long?"

Her eyes left the words on the page and finally looked at me. Without blinking she closed the book and set it back on the table, "You show up at my apartment at nearly 5 in the morning after promising you'd only be a _little late_, and now your _class_ ran late too… Arnold, how do you expect me to-"

"I already told you I was sorry about last night, Trix! It was the frat houses end of spring break party. Things were a little crazy. And as for class, I had to stay-"

"Because you missed a test that was scheduled earlier today! _That's _why Arnold… because you were too busy hanging out with that _miscreant_ Helga and those keg-happy _boys._" she blew out a stream of air and caused her light blonde bangs to shift against her forehead. "Look… we need to talk, Arnold."

I tried not to visibly cringe when the words left her mouth. _Nothing_ good usually ever came after the words '_we need to talk_'. I considered my response for several seconds before speaking, "What's… on your mind sweetie?"

She scooted her chair away from me so she could face me fully with her arms resting on the table, her fingers laced together in a very businesslike fashion. This was very much like Trixie when it came to anything important, she became a business woman. Straight to the point and blunt… there were no fun and games with Trixie Roberts. The thing is, Trixie wasn't always like this. When we first met she was a sweet, soft spoken girl in my high school calculus class. Over time it seemed like things changed within her. Far too many details of my life were suddenly being analyzed by her, and she wanted to spend every waking and now _sleeping_ moment together. Things only became worse once we lost our virginities to each other. Every problem in our relationship suddenly became put on display under a metaphorical microscope for evaluation.

"I'm worried about you Arnold." I raised my eyebrow at her in question. "You're staying out late, missing classes… all because of the people you've been hanging out with."

"I make my own choices Trixie. They don't keep my from doing anything." I pointed out.

"They've become an influence! And a terrible one at that… I _like_ Gerald, but now he's become one of… _them_." her lips fell into a flat line, grimacing slightly.

"_Them_?" my eyes narrowed.

She broke her business lady persona and lovingly grasped my hand to stroke it with her thumb, "He's become a pig headed frat boy, Arnold."

"You're talking about my best friend Trixie! And he's been nothing but amazing to me my whole _life_. How could you say something like that about him?" I pulled my hand harshly away from hers.

"Are you telling me he hasn't changed at _all_, Arnold? Remember the guy who was so enamored with Phoebe he would do _anything _for her? The guy who didn't screw girls on a whim and then brag about it to a house full of Neanderthals that he _'scored'_ with a C-cup brunette?" she waited for me to respond but I found myself lacking a proper rebuttal. "… Gerald isn't the same guy he used to be." she finished softly, almost on the border line of condescending.

"Who Gerald sleeps with has nothing to do with how I behave." My hands balled into tight fists in my lap. The last thing I needed was to make a scene in front of the scholars who hung out in the library. "I'm just trying to hang out with my friends and have a good time-"

"-Arnold. Stop." she wagged her index finger in the air, shushing me from continuing the argument that _she_ started. "I'm gonna cut to the chase; I don't think you should spend so much time with them anymore. It's taking a toll on you _and_ our relationship." both of us watched each other with our eyes narrowed, waiting. She opened her mouth a few times to add something else to the conversation but always backed out at the last second.

After another moment I wordlessly stood up and left without so much as a look back at her. There was _no way_ Trixie was seriously asking me to not hang out with Gerald, Helga and the guys. They're my _friends_! What right did she have to ask me to spend less time with them? For weeks now I've been contemplating my relationship with Trixie, and after this ordeal I was _really_ contemplating if this was what I wanted. Were we just going through a rough patch? Or were we heading down a doomed road with no escape? There was only one person I trusted enough to give me advice about this…

"Gerald!" I wildly pounded my fist on the frat house door. I knew they were all still at home resting after the crazy party last night. Normally I'd be kinder towards their probable hangovers, but right now I didn't care. I was in the middle of a crisis! "GERALD! GER-"

The front door opened, revealing a shirtless and disheveled Danny. His usually kempt hair was sticking up all over the place and his normally crystal blue eyes were half lidded and completely bloodshot. "GOOD GOD WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH ALL THE DOOR POUNDING?"

"I'm sorry… kinda." I rushed past him. "Thanks for opening the door!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way towards Gerald's room.

"_FUCK YOU_." he called back.

"WOULD EVERYONE SHUT THEIR FUCKING MOUTHS? FUCK!" Gerald's head was hanging out of his doorway, eyelids drooping haphazardly.

"Gerald!" I shoved him back into his room and followed closely behind him. "I'm having a major crisis here…" I began pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor of his bedroom.

"Man, can this wait until I've slept… and possibly put pants on?" he grumbled. Both of us looked down at his boxer-clad lower half. Despite his hangover he jokingly gyrated his hips, "I know. It's mesmerizing." he smirked.

"Put pants on." I rolled my eyes.

He grumbled something else under his breath as he searched for a pair of pants in his dresser, wobbly slipping them on and landing on his bed afterwards. "Now what is so damn important that you're making me miss my beauty sleep?"

I began pacing back and forth again as my thoughts continued to race. "Trixie." I tossed her name out in hopes that Gerald would catch my drift that my problems were currently female.

"Okay… lady troubles." he yawned, slinking across his mattress until he landed with his head on the pillow. "Lay it on me."

It suddenly dawned on me that I would have to tell him Trixie thought he was a bad influence and a '_changed_' person. I stopped pacing when I noticed he was already dozing off and not paying attention to me at all. "Gerald!" I lightly slapped his cheek, jolting him awake again. I grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a shake, "This is serious! Trixie doesn't think I should spend so much time with you or the frat anymore! She thinks you've become some macho meat headed jerk that's been tainting my mind!"

After my confession Gerald seemed much more awake. "So… Did she give you an ultimatum over this? Or…?"

"There was no verbal ultimatum, no… But look, things have been going downhill for me and her, Gerald. It started out with her actually _telling_ me what to have for breakfast every morning and then making sure I _ate_ breakfast, _then_ she wouldn't let me visit my grandparents unless _she_ came with me… and now she's laying _this_ on me! I cant deal with it anymore! I don't know what to do!" I plopped down next to him on the bed with my head in my hands.

"Do you love her?" Gerald asked after a long moment of silence so I could collect myself.

I lifted my head from my hands and blankly stared at the gigantic poster on his wall of some supermodel in a sultry pose. "We've been dating for two years… of course I love her."

"Yeah and you love your grandparents too, so let me rephrase… are you _in _love with Trixie?" I opened my mouth to give my immediate response, which would have been a loud '_YES!_'… but the fact that I just hesitated shook me to my core. Was I _in love_ with Trixie? "Look man…" Gerald clapped my shoulder, resting his hand there momentarily. "Relationships are never easy… its always challenging and often times more complicated than we're prepared to deal with. Every relationship you'll ever be in, whether it's romantic or not has its trials and tribulations. It's the way you deal with your problems that defines the road you're heading down. Now man, _real_ love is the very definition of complicated… it challenges you in every way. All obstacles are met with compromise and a level head. If you truly love someone nothing can break you apart; no amount of fights or arguments, _nothing_. EVERYTHING is resolvable… But…" he paused, thinking out his next words carefully, "If you're not willing to at least try and work together… what's the point? It's like being on opposite football teams, man! If you aren't working together then you're just one man standing alone in the field waiting to be tackled into oblivion." he grabbed my arm and gave me a shake, "You either gotta find balance in your relationship so both of you can be satisfied, or… walk away- But you aren't the type of person to give up, right buddy?" he gripped me a little tighter, eyes becoming a little frantic.

My hands were fidgeting in my lap, my mind still racing with far too many thoughts about the future of my relationship with Trixie. "… _Right_."

"Then everything will be alright Arnold. Just talk things out with Trixie and try to find a compromise somehow-"

"Even if that means compromising my friendship with _you_?" I stared at him incredulously.

"You're my best friend, my _brother_…" his arm slung over my shoulders, "No matter what happens, at the end of the day you'll still be my family. Sometimes a problem like the one you're having right now with Trixie just takes a little time to smooth things over. And when that time comes I'll still be here. I'll _always_ be here for you Arnold. Remember that."

"I will Gerald." our fists connected for our handshake. "Thank you for calming me down, really… you're the only person I trust when it comes to this stuff."

"Anytime man… I know the ways of love! I'm here to help!" his smile seemed to falter a little but he played it off into a yawn.

I excused myself from the frat house so Gerald could finally catch up on his much needed sleep, and so I could muddle over all the thoughts that were currently plaguing my mind. Either choice I made was bound to hurt someone in the end… Gerald had basically just given me his blessing to pursue a relationship with Trixie without his interference. But if I wasn't _in love_ with Trixie, why would I do that to Gerald?

"_Relationships.._." I muttered.

* * *

_***Present Day* **_**- (May)**

"Well this has been 30 minutes of my life I wish I could get back." I droned, flipping through a page of one of Eugene's artsy magazines while focusing on not glaring at Danny on the other side of the room. "If I would have known you'd model in front of my mirror I would have left already." Danny only scoffed at my mild irritation towards his metrosexual tendencies. He had showed up at my dorm room desperately seeking to borrow my dark blue sport coat for his date with Liz tonight. Apparently Louis had borrowed Danny's for a date with Rhonda at some fancy hotel restaurant last week and still hadn't given it back to him.

"Laugh at my primping all you want buddy," he adjusted his tie while simultaneously checking his pearly white teeth, "Tonight needs to be perfect! It's me and Liz's third anniversary. If I've learned anything over the past three years, it's that a little bit of romance goes a _long_ way in a relationship. Chicks dig that crap!"

"I never pegged you for much of a romantic, honestly." I chuckled. But then I slowly realized maybe he _did _know a thing or two. After all, three years _is_ a long time to be with one person in this day and age. _Especially_ during college. Maybe he could help shed some light on my current dilemma with Helga. "So Danny… How _do_ you keep your relationship with Liz so healthy anyway?"

He turned away from the mirror to look at me with an eyebrow raised curiously. "Are you seriously asking _me_ for romance advice?"

"Well… not _exactly_-" I stumbled over my own words, suddenly feeling stupid for even trying to ask someone like Danny about the ways of love.

"Hey, there's no shame in asking." he shrugged. "I've asked plenty of people along the way when I hit snags with Liz. But the question is, what's the problem between you and Helga that has you seeking advice in the first place?"

"This whole Gerald thing is putting a rift between us. It's like this giant elephant in the room… we know the issue is there but we don't speak of it. And now I feel like we aren't connecting the way we were before all of this started-"

"You aren't breaking up with her are you?" his face was showing genuine concern, "As much as I like and respect you bro, I'd have to kick your ass if you break her heart. She's become something like a very… very… _very_ hot sister to me- OW!" my fist connected with his shoulder with a quick, warning jab.

"I'm not breaking up with her Danny! I'm just a little lost right now… I don't know what to do."

His hand subconsciously rubbed his shoulder while he stared off in the distance in obvious contemplation over something, "Why don't you do something fun together? Something special! A date or… _Something_! Girls totally dig that stuff."

"A _date_?" my brow furrowed, "Me and Helga have never even been on a real date with each other before." I murmured under my breath. The realization had me reeling. How have we been boyfriend and girlfriend for a _month_ now and we still haven't gone on our first date? What kind of boyfriend did that make me?

"Good LORD. You need to get on that one Arnold. Helga may be a 'tough girl' but that doesn't mean she wouldn't like some romance every now and again. Take her out for a night on the town! You'll both loosen up, and _then_ maybe you can work out whatever issues you're having." he checked himself in the mirror one last time before gripping the door handle, "Now if you'll excuse me I have a date with a sexy redhead- Thanks for letting me borrow the jacket!" the door slammed shut behind him.

Maybe Danny was right about this whole thing. Maybe we _did_ need a little more romance in our relationship, what could it really hurt if I tried? I admit I haven't exactly been the picture perfect boyfriend lately towards Helga. I've been outright cold to her since the night she left me to go look for Gerald. But how was I supposed to pretend I was alright with Helga befriending him after everything he put us through?

The more I dwelled on my relationship issues the louder a voice in the back of my head kept repeating; _"All obstacles are met with compromise and a level head. If you truly love someone nothing can break you apart; no amount of fights or arguments, nothing. EVERYTHING is resolvable." _Maybe I was still upset with Gerald, but it didn't make his former advice any less relevant… as much as I hated to admit it to myself. But was I really willing to compromise with Helga over _this_? Was Gerald's advice worth following after everything he put me and Helga through? The mere thought of Gerald lately made my skin crawl! Everyone around me says I'm being far too harsh on him, especially since he _apologized_. But the thing is nobody saw things the way I did. To find out one of the people you trust the _most_ has been deceiving you for his own selfish reasons while claiming he 'has your back'… it's made me question _everything_ I've come to know-

The sound of the front door opening broke me from my thoughts. As per usual Eugene came limping inside with a new ailment. "Hey Arnold." he smiled brightly, hobbling his way over to his bed.

"You okay?" I motioned towards the leg he was currently elevating on a pillow.

"Potholes are _not_ my friend." he chuckled. "Hey, where's Helga?" he glanced at his wristwatch, "She's usually always here around dinner time."

He was right. Helga usually always showed up for dinner a little after five. In fact I hadn't heard from her all day, which _rarely_ happens. "You're right. Um… Anyway, I think I'm gonna go for a walk." I stood up and made a hasty exit from our dorm. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable talking with Eugene about my life, I just didn't see the point in dragging _another_ person into this madness. He inadvertently knew far too much about my relationship already. Right after Helga and I started dating Eugene walked in on Helga and I having sex, he didn't _see_ anything due to Helga's positioning on top of me under the covers, but it didn't make the situation any less mortifying. It became a rule of ours after that to engage in all sexual activities at Helga's place… not counting the completely _unsatisfying_ experience the night Danny interrupted us two weeks ago.

I found myself standing outside her dorm room awkwardly shifting my weight from foot to foot, wondering what exactly I was going to say to her when I finally got the nerve to knock. With all of the awkwardness surrounding this situation I didn't know _what_ to do or say anymore- _"You either gotta find balance in your relationship so both of you can be satisfied, or… walk away"_

"_Shut up, Gerald_." my palm collided with my temple in a meager attempt to silence his voice. With a shake of my shoulders and crack of my neck I finally knocked on her door- only to be met by silence on the other side. "Helga?" I knocked again to receive the same result. I made sure nobody in the hall was watching before getting on my tiptoes to get the key stored on the top of her doorway. Louis and I were the only ones who knew about it, and it was only supposed to be used if we were bringing Helga home after a long night of drinking and she didn't have her keys. "Helga?… You in here babe?" I poked my head inside. The breath I had been holding was released in relief when I saw her curled up in a ball under her covers and snoring softly. My guess was she had a long day and had just fallen asleep after class.

I quietly closed the door behind me and tiptoed over to her queen sized bed. Her golden blonde hair was splayed out across her pillow with a few stragglers falling across her face, her mouth was slightly ajar and exhaling softly. One of her hands was tucked under her pillow while the other one was haphazardly laying across the mattress. I removed my shoes and carefully crawled on to the bed and underneath the covers, moving her deadweight hand so I could lay down next to her. After sensing me in her sleep she instinctually flung her arm across my midsection and shimmied closer, slipping her leg between mine and burying her face in my chest, nuzzling me. My hand crept inside the back of her shirt, rubbing the smooth skin of her back in slow soothing circles. This seemed to wake her up a little, her eyes opened to small slits revealing a portion of her stunning blue eyes. "_Arnold_?"

"Hey…" my fingers slid down to her hip and gave her a gentle squeeze. I slowly leaned forward and connected our lips, pouring every ounce of feeling I could into it. After a moment of hesitation on her part her tongue finally flicked out to meet mine, followed by a deep satiated sigh as her fingers raked through my hair to pull me closer. Before things could become clouded by lust I pulled away from the kiss so I could see her face.

"I wouldn't mind waking up like that every day for the rest of my life." a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth but faded away quickly when our eyes met. "_You're not mad at me anymore_?" her voice was so small, timid… so unlike her.

Both of my arms snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against me in a tight hug, "I was never _angry_ at you." I murmured against the skin of her neck, peppering kisses all the way down to her collarbone before coming back up and gently nipping at her earlobe and eliciting a breathy sigh from her. I admit it was tempting to forget why I came here to see her and give in to my desires, but my relationship with Helga _needed_ to be more than physical. I wanted the lines of communication to be opened, "I want to ask you a question…" I pulled back a little when she hummed in response, her fingers were already toying with me through my jeans and coercing me into hardness. I _had_ to stay focused! I reached between us and took her hand off of me to link our fingers together, smiling softly at her. "Helga… Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Helga sat up on her right elbow so she could get a better look at me. "A _date_?" her brow furrowed. "You get me all hot and bothered for the first time in _two weeks_ and all you want from me is a _date_?"

"I take that as a no?" my face fell into a pout. "I was just hoping we could- AH!" in the blink of an eye Helga shot up and pressed me down on my back, straddling my hips while her hands restrained my wrists above my head. Her eyes looked down at me in amusement as I awkwardly tried to shift myself away from the intentional pressure she was applying against my groin, her hips began gyrating in slow purposeful circles. I was _painfully_ aware she was only wearing a thin pair of sweatpants that left nothing to my imagination.

She released my wrists and skated her hands across the skin of my forearms and biceps before resting them on my chest, leaning in until I could feel her breath on my lips. "_I'd love to go out with you football head_." her mouth collided with mine in a flurry of tongues and teeth. I sat myself up against the headboard with Helga still in my lap so my hands could grasp her thrusting hips and steady her movements to a slow rocking motion. She let out a little whimper when I started thrusting my hips along with her, rubbing her in _just_ the right spot. Both of us were becoming breathless from the stimulation, "You know Arnold," she panted against my cheek "Most good dates end _in bed_. Maybe if you're lucky, after our date I'll consider- OH!" Her fingers tightened against the material of my shirt as my hand found its way inside the front of her sweatpants. I was quickly losing my battle with self control as I often do with her. We haven't had sex recently in light of all this Gerald related drama and it was _very_ apparent we both missed this aspect of our relationship. "_Fuck_- Arnold…" her hips thrust along with the movement of my fingers at her core, "Please, oh _god_… I need you." my breath caught in my throat when her lips brushed against my ear, "_Make love to me_…"

_What am I DOING? I shouldn't be doing this… I need to work things out with Helga before I even THINK about going to bed with her! I'm doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do…_

With all the strength I could muster I retracted my hand from her warmth despite the loud growl of protest escaping Helga's lips. Her hips desperately grinded against mine in an attempt to rile me up again, "Dammit Arnold! _UGH_! Work with me here!"

"_Helga_…" I whispered, cupping her face in my hands until she stopped grinding against me and looked me in the eye. "We both know that now isn't the right time for this." I gestured towards the obvious bulge she was sitting on, "I want to be close to you _other_ ways too… not just physically. I want _everything_. Can we please just _try_?" Knowing she was defeated and that I wasn't going to give in she fell heavily into my arms with a groan. I pulled her into another hug, running my hands across the planes of her back and humming against her neck. "Since tomorrow is Saturday… why don't we have our date then? A nice dinner… and a moonlit walk through the park. Just you and me."

She slowly lifted her chin from its spot on my shoulder, "Do I have to wear a _dress_?" she grimaced.

"You can wear whatever you're most comfortable in." our noses playfully rubbed together.

"Naked it is." she smirked.

A hearty chuckle erupted from my chest, "Oh baby…" my hands grabbed her rear and gave it a squeeze, "_I look forward to it_."

* * *

"You're looking spiffy tonight Arnold. Are you going out?" Eugene was studying me over the top of whatever novel he was reading. My outfit consisted of a dark blue button up shirt and a pair of slacks.

"I'm going on my first official date with Helga tonight." I turned towards him with my arms held out to the sides, "How do I look?"

"Like a million bucks!" he offered me a thumbs up. "Where are you taking her?"

"Out to dinner at that fancy Italian bistro that overlooks the river, then we'll probably walk through the park if we're feeling up to it. I wanted to keep it simple since it's only our first date."

"I think that sounds like it'll be right up her alley. The flowers are a nice touch too!" he gestured towards the bouquet of roses laying on the end of my bed. "I'm sure you two will have a wonderful time tonight." after a moment his mouth quirked to the side, seemingly contemplating something else "Arnold… um… Did… you need the room tonight?"

_Oh my GOD._

"No! No… thanks Eugene, but that won't be necessary." my cheeks were burning a bright shade of red and there was no way to hide it. "Anyway, I should probably go pick her up." I grabbed the bouquet off my bed and opened the front door, "I'll be back late tonight. See ya Eugene!"

"Good luck!" he chirped.

I'll admit I was a little nervous about tonight. I haven't been on a '_date_' in quite a while and I felt like I was out of practice. Helga was already my girlfriend, so _that_ layer of pressure had been alleviated, but I still wanted tonight to be memorable for her. Danny seemed pretty convinced that this date could help our situation, or at least lessen the tension and animosity between us. All I could do was hope he was right, and that Helga and I could finally talk things out soon. The last thing Helga and I needed was more stress on our relationship.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I approached the front steps of Brennan Hall. A familiar attractive Japanese girl was coming out the front door with a bag slung over her shoulder, "_Phoebe_?" I tentatively called out.

"Konnichiwa Arnold!" she waved enthusiastically and ran down the stairs to greet me with a hug.

"It's good to see you! It's been a while." I squeezed her shoulders and grinned down at her, "What brings you to Hillwood?"

"It's my father's birthday this week so I figured I would come down to Hillwood and see everyone during my month long break. I spent all day with Helga today." she smiled coyly at me, "She's very excited about tonight."

"She is?" my grin widened momentarily. It suddenly dawned on me that they spent the whole day together, _talking_. Which only meant one thing… "Have you seen _Gerald_ yet?"

Her facial expression immediately hardened, "No. And I'm not going to… not yet. I haven't even began to think of what I'm going to say to him." she placed her hand on my forearm and sighed "I had no idea he was capable of causing so much turmoil. He never gave me any reason to believe he disliked Helga so much… I'm so sorry Arnold."

"Don't." I firmly grabbed her hand, "You had no idea. _None_ of us did…"

Her small hands balled up into fists, "Rest assured that I will give him hell for what he's done." a ding from her phone momentarily distracted her from her rage, "That's probably my mom wondering where I am." she sighed, "I better get going."

"And I better go get Helga." I pointed towards the dorms. "See you around?"

"Of course." she grabbed my arm to tug me to her level and placed a kiss on my cheek before she left. "-And Arnold?" she called out over her shoulder as she began walking further away, a devilish grin spread across her face, "… _You're welcome_."

"Wait… what?" my brow furrowed, "You're welcome for what?- Phoebe!" I called out to no avail. "Well that was weird-" My phone chimed in my pocket, I pulled it out and saw the screen lit up with one new text from Helga; '_Not getting any younger here Arnoldo. Get your ass over here!_' After Phoebe said Helga was excited for our date I couldn't help but laugh at her text. She really _was _excited. I practically broke my neck rushing up the stairs to her floor. When I finally reached her dorm room I paused to adjust my clothes and hair before knocking on the door. "Here goes nothing." I held the bouquet of roses in front of me and let out a deep sigh. A few moments later the door opened. Helga came to stand in the doorway, leaning on its metal frame. My mouth suddenly went dry, "_Sweet… Jesus_… Helga?" she was wearing a light pink strapless dress with a dark pink belt anchored around her waist and her hair was let loose from its normal ponytail and flowing freely down her back in light waves. Even her eyes were adorning makeup to enhance her already beautiful cerulean eyes. It took me well over three minutes to stop staring at her attractively muscled thighs and calves that were on display and accentuated by a pair of pink heels with a diamond buckle. "Uh…" my hands shakily held out the roses for her, "Flowers… You-" I cleared my throat, "I mean; these are for you."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were feeling a little speechless football head." her hand brushed mine as she accepted the flowers with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Red roses, eh? Nothing on the cheap… good boy." She motioned for me to wait while she took the flowers in her dorm room, when she remerged she had a purse in her hand. Since when did Helga start carrying a _PURSE? _"Let's get this show on the road lover boy!" her fingers grazed my lower stomach as she walked past me. She was purposely sashaying her hips from side to side in that curve accentuating dress, it was an obvious attempt at flustering me. I had to literally _force_ myself to ignore the flutter in my stomach and the heat pooling near my groin- _focus Arnold!_ I pulled myself together enough to jog after my gorgeous date with a dreamy sigh and a skip in my step.

_Thank you Phoebe!_

"I gotta say… you look absolutely _amazing_ tonight Helga." I eyed my dinner companion across the table from me. We managed to get one of the tables on the deck that overlooked the river, the moonlight shone off the water and made a very nice backdrop for our romantic evening. A single candlestick was lit in the middle of our table, next to it was a bucket of ice that contained a bottle of wine to accompany our dinner.

"Phoebe talked me in to buying the dress when we went shopping today." her teeth nervously scraped across her bottom lip. I was silently wishing it was _my_ teeth instead- "She insisted I dolled up to knock your socks off tonight." she bit her lip a little harder to contain her smirk.

My hand reached across the table to cover hers, the moment her skin came into contact with mine my heart began to race. "You always knock my socks off, Helga. I find you stunning with or without all the bells and whistles." her hand rotated beneath mine until our palms touched, both of us smiled.

The look on her face went from sweet to mischievous, "Let's try something… Tell me something about you that _nobody _knows."

"Um…" I cleared my throat a few times, "Alright..." I pondered my answer a moment, "No freaking out, okay?"

Her eyes narrowed apprehensively as she took a sip of her wine, "Okay. Lay it on me football head."

"We sort of… _made out_ once while you were drunk… on Saint Patrick's Day." A gasp escaped her lips as her hands slapped against the table and gripped the tablecloth. My hands raised defensively before she flipped her lid and started screeching, "_Nothing_ happened… but we _did_ kiss. I never told anyone before, not even Gerald."

She took a few calming breaths before releasing the tablecloth and setting her elbows on the table and resting her hands under her chin. "Since we're sharing crazy secrets there's something I think you should know." My heart began thumping against my ribcage, but I nodded my consent for her to continue. "This isn't _exactly_ our first date."

"Huh?" I stared at her dumbly.

She took a deep breath, wordlessly fluffing her hair and shaking her bangs loose from behind her ears and letting the strip of hair fall over her left eye. "_Bonjour_ Arnold." her voice came out in a terrible French accent.

The sound of her voice and the look on her face instantly resonated in my mind. "_Cecile?_ YOU'RE Cecile?- NO! No way… no!" my hand clutched against my chest when she didn't deny her identity. _Helga_ was Cecile the whole time? How did I not see it sooner? Helga refused to look at me while I tried to process this new information, she seemed uncharacteristically nervous about the whole thing. I thought Helga _enjoyed_ pranking people? "That was a lot of effort to put into one practical joke-"

"It _wasn't_ a prank, Arnold." she idly poked at one of the raviolis on her plate, she didn't clarify her statement any further.

"Helga…" Everything suddenly clicked in my mind. It made _perfect_ sense the more I thought about everything that transpired between us when we were kids. Every moment I found her randomly in alleyways and sighing to herself, every time we ran into each other and she would stare at me adoringly before letting her face fall into a scowl… "You-… You _really _meant what you said on top of the FTI building… didn't you?"

Her eyes slowly lifted to meet my gaze, "Yes."

For some reason my heart began pounding again. The longer we stared at each other the more clammy I felt. "Did you ever… _stop_ feeling that way about me as we grew up?"

"Does it really matter?" she dismissively flicked her wrist in the air, "It's all in the past. Ancient history bucko!" _that_ was the typical attitude I was accustomed to when it came to Helga. She was avoiding the subject entirely.

What could I possibly tell her to make her feel less embarrassed? I wanted Helga to feel free to be open with me about _everything- _"I had a wet dream about you once when I was 14!" my hand slapped over my mouth in surprise. _Oh my god. _The people at the table across from us had clearly heard my confession and began snickering at me. My cheeks turned a deep shade of red and it suddenly felt 100 degrees hotter outside. Helga simply stared at me completely slack jawed with the beginnings of a blush clearly visible on her too. "I'm sorry… that was-"

"Wait, wait!" she held her hand up, "You had a legitimate sex dream about me when we were teenagers?" I nodded in response, and to my surprise she began grinning like a fool. "What did we _do_, exactly?"

"Helga!" my blush intensified. "I don't remember the specifics… it was a _long_ time ago!" she gave me a glare that said '_I don't buy it bucko_'. "Look, all I really remember was… well, we _did_ stuff… in the boys locker room."

"Holy shit football head! You're a kinky little sexual deviant!" she hooted with laughter. I felt myself sinking lower in my seat and willing myself to disappear. What the heck possessed me to tell her about _that_? I really am a moron- "So was I any good?" her eyes were sparkling with excitement. I suppose the utter embarrassment was worth it to see her so entertained.

"I _finished _all over my sheets. Is that proof enough?" I muttered under my breath. My hand instantly slapped over my mouth again. What ever happened to my mental filtering system?

"_Wow_…" her teeth bit on her bottom lip once again, only this time I was pretty sure it wasn't because of nervousness. She began twirling a strand of hair around her index finger, keeping her eyes locked on mine. "So… Were you _attracted_ to me? What prompted you to dream about _me_? We were hardly best friends."

The level of embarrassment I was feeling had reached an all time high, even beating the time I had to wear those bunny footie pajamas in front of the whole neighborhood. "I can still remember the first time I _really_ saw you as a… um _… woman._" I shifted awkwardly in my seat, "We had just finished running a mile for PE. Everyone was gathered around and cooling off, stretching and stuff… I was sitting on the ground stretching my legs, and I remember seeing you a few feet away leaning against the fence. I remember noticing your gym shorts had ridden up your thighs and you were using the hem of your shirt to wipe the sweat off of your forehead. From my spot on the ground I could see directly up your shirt-"

"You pervert!" she chuckled. If anything she seemed unbothered by my confession, amused even. "Go on, go on! You're making my night here Arnoldo!" she enthusiastically stuck another ravioli in her mouth and watched me, completely enthralled as she chewed.

"Before that moment I never thought about you as more than _Helga_ before… beyond the name, beyond your persona. After seeing up your shirt in nothing but your bra I was slapped with the reality that you were an attractive teenage girl, and for the first time in my life I reacted like a teenage boy. I admit I had some impure thoughts once or twice… but it never went beyond a fleeting thought. It was really hard for me to admit how strongly I felt towards you and to validate my feelings beyond the point of just a physical attraction. Sure it's a little embarrassing to rehash about my former _wet dream_, but that one moment of teenaged hormonal desire changed _everything._" I reached out and cupped her cheek, "It opened my eyes to everything I was too blind to see before, and from that moment on I _never_ stopped seeing you."

When Helga turned her head away from my touch, to say I was surprised would be an understatement. I thought we were making nice and steady baby steps towards a breakthrough! "How about that walk?" she mumbled.

I didn't bother to ask her why asking personal questions had set her off _again_. Instead I did what she wanted, I paid for our dinner and we went to the park. She allowed me to hold her hand as we walked side by side down the cobblestone pathway that was currently bathed in the moonlight. Needless to say it was a beautiful spring night here in Hillwood. Everything about tonight was _supposed_ to be perfect. It's what I had planned on… I _didn't _plan on making Helga so tense, and I certainly didn't want this lingering tension floating between us anymore. I tried backing into this situation from a romantic standpoint, but it obviously hadn't worked out the way I had wanted it to.

"Oh look, the playground!" Helga's other hand thrashed out and pointed excitedly towards the blue and white children's playground that was built long after we were little kids. She released my hand and ran over towards a bench to unbuckle her heels and slipped them off to carry them in her hand. "Come on football head!" she didn't wait for me to respond before she was taking off towards the sandbox with an excited giggle. At least she wasn't so tense anymore, and I was only happy to oblige.

Helga hiked her dress up even higher up her thighs so she could hop up on the large metal whirligig that immediately began spinning under her weight. Her head fell back in the breeze, her eyes closed and she let out a sigh.

"Any room up there for me?"

The wheel made several more passes by me before it started slowing down. She opened her eyes and gave me a once over , "Gimme a push and maybe I'll consider it football head." she smirked. I grasped one of the bars and pulled the metal carousel as I ran next to it, when it gained enough speed I hopped in front of Helga and wrapped my fingers around the metal bar to steady myself. After a few moments of spinning silently she let out a tentative laugh, "I haven't done this since I was 11."

"I honestly cant remember the last time I played at _any_ playground. It's been a while." My hand subconsciously crept closer towards hers, but I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to try and be romantic in this scenario. I wasn't going to give any lingering and longing glances or loving caresses, most of my attempts tonight have done nothing but put her on edge for some reason. Discussing feelings, conflict, and the subject of our past tended to have a damning effect upon our budding relationship. If she found some sort of comfort in reliving our childhood on a whirligig in the middle of the Hillwood park at 10:30 at night, I was going to let her have this moment. I knew Helga would talk to me when she was good and ready… she always does.

After running back and forth and playing on the various playground equipment we wound up sprawled out shoulder to shoulder on the grass and staring up at the (somewhat) visible stars through the thick layer of city smog, the most prominent thing visible being the crescent shaped moon. Every once and a while Helga's hand would brush up against mine but would quickly retreat, or her foot would gently tap my shoe and she would pretend she hadn't done it. I knew she was trying to open the doors of communication by means of physicality, but I didn't _want_ to solely communicate that way anymore. It obviously wasn't working for us. I wanted her to _speak_ to me, to tell me what she's feeling without me having to literally force it out of her during a moment of sheer frustration.

I turned my head towards hers and studied her profile for several moments, "Let's try something," I parroted her words from earlier "… Tell me something about you that _nobody _knows." her head slowly rotated to the right until we were practically nose to nose. This was physically the closest we had been the entire night. I prepared myself for whatever she was about I strike back with, I wasn't about to let her break my focus with her sexual prowess. I made a show out of clearing my throat and moving my head further away from her, I wanted her to answer the question!

"You know Arnold, it's not very nice to scoot away from your date like she has the plague." she looked back towards the sky with a huff.

"I just want you to be able to talk to me Helga," I finally gave in and grasped her hand in my own. "It's been so crazy lately between us and I don't want our relationship to crash and burn because we can't communicate."

"We're communicating right now aren't we?" she glared at me from the corner of her eye.

I sat up on my elbow and stared at her incredulously, "You keep avoiding certain subjects, you act cold towards me when I try and get you to open up, and you-"

"OKAY! Geez Arnoldo… I get it. I understand why you're frustrated with me, because _I'm_ frustrated with me too! Communicating with other human beings has never really been my forte and I'm willing to fully admit that. As much as I care about you, I'm equally afraid to completely let my guard down and tell you _everything_. I spent so long keeping everything locked away inside that I forgot what it was like to be open and honest, to tell people how I feel… It's not easy for me to even admit _that_ to you. My family is so emotionally detached and screwed up… I always thought I would be above their freakish behavior when I finally broke away from them and started my own life… but I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the emotionally retarded tree." her fingers had tightened considerably around my hand during her self reflective monologue, "You want me to verbally express my feelings, right?"

"I do." my other hand reached out to gently touch the side of her face.

Her face looked pained as her bottom lip trembled at my touch, I knew she was struggling with this. "Arnold, I've been in love with you from the moment I first heard your voice. No matter how much I wished those feelings would dissipate over the years, my thoughts always came back to you. There's nobody in the world that could take your place in my heart… So to answer your question from before; no, I never stopped loving you." I could feel her body nervously shivering next to mine, "Was that enough communication to satisfy you football head?"

My heart swelled a little at her confession. Hearing the words come from her mouth left me feeling a little ambivalent, "Thank you for telling me the truth Helga." I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead. "It takes more strength and courage to _feel_ something and express it than to hide it." I shifted my body in the grass until I was pressed into her side, "You've never really been given the chance to express yourself, especially with your family history. But I want you to understand that you are _not _like them, do you hear me?" my hand grasped her chin so she was looking at me. "You're not like them. I _know_ you're not."

Her hand covered mine as she smiled softly, "Thank you." she rolled over on to her side and cuddled up against my chest. "_I love you Arnold_."

Maybe things didn't go exactly the way I had planned tonight, but I couldn't complain about what transpired. Every step we took to communicate like a normal couple was another step in the right direction. There was always sometime in the near future to talk about the whole Gerald issue, and all that mattered to me right now was _this_. Helga was mine, here in my arms and willing to make an effort to be with me. And for the first time in weeks I felt close to her again… "_I love you too_."

* * *

_***One week later***_

"A studio apartment downtown with a _half bathroom_ for five hundred a month… is that even _legal_?" I folded my newspaper in half and tossed it back down on the table we were occupying at the campus diner. "How the heck is a guy supposed to find a place to live after graduation? Everything I've come across lately has been either ridiculously unlivable or outrageously expensive!"

"Roommates-" Louis pointed his index finger at me like a gun and pretended to shoot, making a clicking sound with his tongue. "less money from your pocket!"

"Uh, NO! I've been living with Eugene as my roommate for far too long. I'd rather live all by myself in a studio apartment with no windows or shower! Finding people I could tolerate to live with would take forever… and I've only got a little over a month before I graduate. I have to move out of the dorms the week after graduation!"

"What about your grandparents, Arnold? They live in a _boarding house_." Rhonda glanced away from her manicured nails she was currently filing to make eye contact with me.

"I need to get out on my own after graduation. My grandparents deserve their space. They did their job raising me, and now it's my time to experience life without them holding my hand the entire way. Living on campus was the first step, but now comes the real world! I've already got a possible job lined up, so long as everything goes well-"

"Where are you gonna work?" Louis' head shot up from his plate of pancakes, his cheeks were partially puffed out like a chipmunk.

"Ugh… Really… swallow, darling." Rhonda grimaced.

"My professor from my Biocultural Anthropology class got promoted to the head of the Anthropology department at Hillwood U, and he asked me to interview for a job as some type of assistant. Apparently he interviewed another guy too and he's supposed to let me know today who he's chosen." I scooted towards the edge of the booth and stood up, tossing some money on the table, "Anyway, thanks for inviting me to breakfast guys, but I should probably be getting back to the dorms. I've still gotta check into some more apartments. But we should all get together sometime this week to hang out, it would be fun!"

"Sure thing Arnold," Louis took another bite out of his stack of pancakes and wrapped his other arm around Rhonda's shoulders, "and good luck with that job thingy!"

"Thanks!" I offered them a small wave and took off toward the exit. Off in the distance I could vaguely hear Rhonda yelling at Louis yet again about his table etiquette. I don't know what exactly attracted Rhonda to _Louis_ of all people, but if they were happy I was happy for them… even if they _were_ one of the weirdest couples of all time. Helga on the other hand was completely opposed to Louis' new and strange romance. She was convinced Rhonda was solely out to annoy _her_ and had no interest in Louis. Even that was a little far fetched for me.

Instead of heading back to _my_ dorm room I found myself gravitating towards Brennan Hall. Helga had several hours before her first class and I knew she would be home. We were still taking tentative steps with communication, but things were getting exponentially better. Up until this point we haven't talked about Gerald even despite her starting to spend time with him recently. She assumed I didn't notice when she said she had plans with _'a friend'_, then later on I heard from Danny and Louis that they had gone bowling with Helga and Gerald. I wasn't _mad_ at Helga for spending time with him, I had no right to be… but it didn't mean I had to be happy about it either. We had to compromise and meet somewhere in the middle when it came to him. I knew she wanted me to _try_ and talk with Gerald, but I just wasn't ready to do it yet. I needed her to understand that… and maybe it was about time we bit the bullet and talked about it.

"Baby?" my fist rapped against her door.

"_Just a sec!_" her voice came out muffled on the other side. I could vaguely hear her sheets rustling and her feet paddling across the floor before the door swung open. She was wearing nothing but a thin white shirt and a pair of underwear, "Hey there _tiger_." she grinned. "What are you doing here? I thought you had plans today?"

_Look away from her legs- LOOK AWAY!_

My hands grasped at her waist and pushed her backwards into her dorm so I could close the door and prevent anyone from seeing Helga in nothing but her boyish, form fitting underwear. "I wanted to see you." I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist and smiled at her before my lips sought out hers for a quick peck, "Good morning."

"You came by to _see_ me huh football head? That's all you wanted; to say _hello_?" our bodies disconnected suddenly, "You came here for something else bucko, I can tell." her eyebrow raised inquisitively, "But what is it?"

"Very intuitive," I complimented. "Anyway, since you mentioned it I think we need to discuss some stuff… That's if you're feeling up to it."

Her eyes narrowed briefly before her face fell back into a mutual position, "Uh… _okay_? Discuss away Arnoldo." she plopped down on her bed and pulled the covers over her exposed legs. I didn't really know how to start this conversation with her, I've spent so long thinking about it and yet now here I am with nothing to say. "Is everything alright Arnold? You're kinda freaking me out here…"

I sat down Indian style in front of her and took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge and hope for the best, "We need to talk about what's been going on with you, me and Gerald." her eyes widened in surprise, "I know you've been spending some time with him lately, and I want you to understand that I'm not angry or hurt by it. In fact I want to commend you for being the better person in this situation. It takes _a lot_ more effort to make amends than it does to feel angry and spiteful. I know I've been putting an extra burden on _us_ lately by having such mixed emotions when it comes to Gerald, I'm sorry if I've hurt you along the way because of that. But I need you to understand that I can't jump right back into a friendship with Gerald… His betrayal made me question my faith in the people closest to me, and it scared me. I'm _still_ afraid sometimes. I'll always be here for you, and you'll always be someone I need in my life… but your venture with Gerald is something I'm just not ready to be a part of yet. We need to compromise on this… You don't have to hide your friendship with him from me, and all I ask in return is that you respect my personal space when it comes to this."

Her warm hand suddenly came into contact with mine and gave it a squeeze, "I can do that. It's not a problem… Why were you so freaked out to talk about _this _of all things? It's not like I would have refused and told you to get lost! Crimeny Arnold… I'm willing to do pretty much anything to make this work. I thought I made it pretty clear that I'm crazy about you. Giving you some time and space with this whole Gerald thing isn't a ludicrous request." she pulled the covers off of her legs and crawled into my lap, slinging her arms over my shoulders. "And _I'm_ sorry if I make communication between us difficult sometimes… I know I tend to shut people out, but I'm working on it. I promise you that I'll keep trying." My left hand wove into her hair and pulled her mouth to mine while my other hand caressed the soft skin of her thigh. She whimpered a little in my mouth and began to squirm in my lap. Her fingers were making quick work on the buttons of my shirt but my hands reached out to stop her before she could reach the bottom. Her mouth pulled away from mine with a whine, "Damn it Arnold! Seriously? It's almost been a whole _month_! Don't you dare think I'm above tying you to the bedposts and having my way with you- OH!"

My hand blatantly cupped her breast to accommodate the nip I gave her neck, "I want you too Helga… you have _no_ idea." I pulled back a little, "But as much as I want spend all day in bed with you… I can't stay here for very long. I have to meet with Professor Marsden in thirty minutes. He finally came to his decision about who gets the job."

"That's exciting! Are you nervous?" she lovingly stroked my cheek with her thumb and gave me a genuine smile.

"A little… I _need_ this job, or else I really will have to stay with my grandparents for a while until I can find a source of steady income."

"Marsden would be an _idiot_ to not hire you Arnold. You're one of the hardest workers out there! Everything will be alright… If you don't get the job, we'll figure it out together." she snuggled against me with a reassuring hug, sighing contentedly.

_Together_… I loved when Helga said things like that. It always reminds me of how committed she is, and how much I really mean to her. She didn't want to see me fail. After everything that has happened lately it felt nice to know someone was there for me, and now that we've talked about this whole Gerald ordeal I felt even better about the future of our relationship. Things were looking up!

Unfortunately I didn't get to stay long with Helga at her dorm. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she _would_ make good of her promise about 'jumping my bones' at some point. As I was leaving her room she knelt down and gave my package a sensuous squeeze through my jeans and promised it that they would have a play date soon. Her deviously playful words continued to taunt me in the back of my mind all the way to Professor Marsden's office and I continuously had to pray that I could get my stupid hormones in check so I wouldn't find myself _hard_ in the middle of this stuffy waiting room all because I couldn't stop imagining my girlfriend keeping her… _promise_. The last thing I needed was _another_ public erection!

_Think about something else, quick!… Harold without a shirt on a hot summer day… Grandma and grandpa having old people sex-_

"Arnold, Mr. Marsden will see you now." his secretary Roxanne stood a few feet away and motioned for me to follow her. I silently walked behind her and nervously played with the ends of my shirt, I suddenly didn't feel all that aroused anymore. We stopped in front of a fancy oak door and she knocked rhythmically against it before poking her head inside to announce our presence. "Right this way" she opened the door all the way and ushered me into the fancy office.

Professor Marsden sat behind a fancy wooden desk with several stacks of paperwork cluttering the workspace. After he finished writing something down he finally lifted his head to look at us. "Arnold! Come inside and take a seat my boy. Thank you Roxanne, that will be all. And please hold all my calls."

"Yes sir." she nodded respectfully and left, closing the door behind her on the way out.

"Take a seat," he repeated, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. I took a deep breath and shakily sat down. "So how are you this morning?"

"I-… I'm well, Sir. Thank you." I stuttered.

Professor Marsden let out a hearty laugh and smiled at me, "Don't look so nervous! I have both good news and bad news for you… well I also suppose that depends on your definition of _bad_- anyway… The good news is; I _am_ hiring you to work for me if you so choose to accept my offer. The thing is Mr. Fox, my other applicant, will also be hired as well. I want you two to work together."

"Together?" my brow furrowed. "How so sir? You said something about this being a job as an assistant of some sort."

"Arnold, I'm the head of the board at the museum here in Hillwood, and recently there has been a great opportunity given to us. We're getting a new exhibit pertaining to the elusive 'Green Eye' civilization of San Lorenzo. Many of the artifacts still require archiving and further study, and I know for a fact that you have a special interest in this particular civilization. Your impressive thesis on their culture further swayed me to choose you for this. As for Mr. Fox, he is also highly educated about the customs of the Green Eyed people and has an extensive knowledge of their cultural history. You two were both my star pupils and I have full confidence in your ability to work together on this. And after the archiving is completed it would only be fitting to permanently hire you both at the museum as the curators for the exhibit."

Everything Professor Marsden said was _a lot_ to take in all at once. He was giving me an incredibly rare opportunity to inadvertently follow the same path my parents had taken so long ago… to _continue_ their work. How could I possibly say _no_ to something like this? "This is incredible sir, truly incredible! I would be _honored_ to be a part of this! My answer is yes!" my smile widened to a full on grin.

He reached out to shake my hand. "Excellent! Now all I'm waiting on is Mr. Fox to show up. He had the appointment directly after yours so he should be along shortly." not even 5 seconds later there was another knock on the door followed by the sound of Roxanne opening the door. I stayed facing forward and watched Professor Marsden, "Bring him in, please." he clasped his hands in front of himself. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, and the sound of the door closing again. "Arnold, I would like you to meet Mr. Fox." I stood up from my chair and turned to shake hands. Standing less than five feet away from me was a tall, athletic looking brunette man with blue eyes, broad shoulders and a pearly white smile…

_God dammit._

"… _Jason_?"

* * *

**You heard it ladies and gents, Jason's full name has finally been revealed to be Jason Fox! The ladies even gave him the nickname '**_**Foxy' **_**(bahaha, I know. I'm lame!)**

**Anyway, what is it with me leaving you guys on a cliffhanger? **

***slaps hand* BAD LIZ, BAD! Lol **

**As you all can see I've gone back to the 'back and forth' thing with the POV's. I feel like this story **_**needs**_** it! I also realize Phoebe hasn't done much yet in regards to Gerald, but she will! Just wait! Haha.**

**And as for Danny, his storyline will be coming along soon. *wiggles eyebrows* and you'll also see some more Louis/Rhonda stuff unfold eventually. Strangely, some people actually asked me in the PM's if Helga has some sort of twisted romantic feelings towards Louis. In 'Behind The Mask' one of my original storylines included a romance between the two that would drive Arnold nuts, but it was quickly scrapped. So no, there isn't REALLY any romantic feelings between the two… I think she's more protective of him than anything. (like how Danny feels about Helga. He cares about her and yet he likes to LOOK, but he'd NEVER touch.)**

**AAAAANNNND, I realize I teased you with the almost lemon… but who's to say they wont get a little wild in the next chapter, eh? EH? Lol…**

**On that note, thank you ALL for the awesome feedback so far. I appreciate hearing from everyone! **

**It's 1 in the morning and there's probably a boatload of mistakes in this sucker, as usual I'll look through it and fix the mistakes when I'm not half asleep!**

**(ALSO, my icon on here is a drawing I did of Helga for this story. It was colored by Mia and I still cant get over how AMAZING it turned out! haha. Helga is a sexy bitch, lets face it!)**


	3. Devotion and desire

**I'm baaaaaaack! Haha. I know I take a while to update this thing sometimes, but when I write 10,000 words or more I tend to take my time. I hope you all didn't feel like you've waited **_**too**_** long!**

**So anyway, without further ado; here's chapter three!**

… **lets just say it starts out with a **_**BANG**_**. (wink wink)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold!**

* * *

_***Two Weeks Later* - **_**(June)**

**Helga's POV:**

"You're being _so_ dramatic right now Arnoldo!" I popped the lock of my door and opened it so we could go inside. I tossed my keys on the desk and turned to watch my extremely cranky boyfriend, "Look, you got to inadvertently touch some prime choice 18 year old pre-college freshman boob. Most men in your situation would be thanking Jesus."

He paid no attention to my comment, "Why did I let you convince me to go to that party? I'm _sticky_ and I feel like I've been violated!" he was pacing around my room and peeling his margarita-soiled shirt over his oddly shaped head and mumbling angrily to himself. "That girl grabbed my _junk_, Helga! How are you not throwing a fit? She poured her drink all over me when I rejected her! You just… _stood there!_"

"Do you really think I'm afraid that some run of the mill, fresh faced _freshman_ is gonna take you away from me?" I scoffed, "Get real bucko." I took a few steps towards him and cupped his package with a firm grip "At the end of the day _this_-" my other hand reached up and rested against the spot above his heart "and _this _belong to me. No trashy brunette will ever change that." After a few seconds of awkwardly staring at one another I pulled away and began gathering everything I needed to get ready for bed. "Are you gonna stay with me tonight?" I asked, a hint of hopefulness in my voice.

"I smell like tequila and limes," he huffed. "I really should get back to my dorm so I can take a shower-"

"_Stay with me_…" I pleaded. Our abstinence has been going on for over a month now and I was starting to go a little insane. Every time we'd get even the slightest bit close to getting physical he would stop us. When I asked him why he gave me this whole speech about how we rushed into the physical part of our relationship before we could deal with all the emotional aspects of it. It's not that I didn't agree with him to an extent, but flat out denying any sexual contact was just plain _frustrating_! We've been working on opening the lines of communication a lot more recently, and I really feel like we've made substantial progress. But Arnold was _still_ not willing to have sex after all this time! Taking him to this pre graduation house party tonight was supposed to help him loosen up a bit before I tried tempting him again, but it ended up doing the opposite thanks to the brunette little miss grabby hands. If Arnold wasn't going to give in on his own tonight then it was time for me to do some more negotiating.

"_Stay with me_" I repeated.

He seemed torn about the decision, "I really should be getting home Helga."

"There's a shower _here_, and plenty of your clothes have been left in my room-"

"I can't, baby… we've been doing so well lately and I don't know if we're ready to go there-"

"What will it take for you to want me again?" I threw my armful of clothes back on the floor to set my hands on my hips. "I've done everything you wanted! We've been communicating, spending time doing '_normal_' activities outside the confines of a bedroom-"

"Wait! You think I don't _want_ you?" his mouth was agape.

"I can only be rejected so many times before I start believing there's something I'm lacking Arnold! What turns you off, huh? Am I too abrasive? Am I not feminine enough? What the _fuck_ is it?"

In one swift movement he moved across the room and pulled me into his arms. The feeling of his bare chest underneath my hands makes me gasp in surprise… its been _so_ long since I've felt his skin against mine. I'm literally _throbbing_ for more contact. I press my nose into his neck and inhale his scent. He wasn't kidding, he really _did_ smell like tequila and lime. I wasn't really a big fan of tequila, but smelling it on his skin made it completely delectable. My tongue flicked against the length of his collarbone, causing him to groan. His hand wove into my hair and tugged my head back into his line of vision. "I want you so much it drives me _insane_. Not a moment goes by when I don't think about you."

I rubbed my nose against his and whimpered slightly, "_Then why wont you make love to me?_"

"We started our relationship physically. It was our communication, our stress reliever, and the answer to _everything_. When we took sex out of the equation things began improving… I just don't want to derail our work by getting physical too soon. I love you too much to make the same mistake twice." the fingers of his right hand slipped inside the back of my shirt to stroke my skin.

"You have to learn to ease up a little." I tugged on his belt loops, "_We're ready_..." my hands trailed down to his butt to give him a squeeze.

His arms wrapped around me once again and held me against him, "You're making it _really_ hard to say no."

"The only thing that should be hard right now is _you_." I gave him a challenging smirk.

He shifted his hips a little until I felt something hard grinding into my hip, "Somehow I don't think that'll be a problem."

"That's it-" I finally snapped, "No more of these games football head!" I shoved him harshly at the foot of my bed, causing him to fall on his back. I wasted no time following after him and pinning his lower half beneath me with my thighs anchored at his hips with my hands deftly working on undoing his belt and unzipping his pants. I was practically salivating in anticipation. Arnold made no protest when I began pulling his pants and boxers down, he only watched me with curiosity as he became fully nude before my very eyes. I stood up on the side of the bed and unzipped my own jeans and tugged them down to the floor.

"Don't I get to play too?" his bottom lip jokingly puffed out in a pout. "Come here." I knelt down in front of him in his lap and ran my fingers through his unruly blonde locks. He was practically purring at the contact, "_I love you so much_." he wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled the spot above my heart. I was practically bursting with joy. Just when I thought Arnold couldn't love me any more than he already does he goes and acts like this. He always knows just what I need to hear. Arnold respects and loves me more than anyone in my life ever has, he loves me for _me_. I suppose it really did make sense why Arnold hesitated to initiate our physical relationship again. Sex had been our relationship crutch. The actual intimacy was lost somewhere along the way. No amount of sex could replace what I was currently feeling right now, I felt sincerely and truly loved.

"_Hmm_…" I kissed the top of his head and sighed contentedly, "I love you too baby."

Both of us stiffened as soon as the words left my mouth. After a moment he pulled back to study me. A wolfish grin slowly spread across his mouth, "You _actually_ called me baby?"

"Yeah yeah, savor it bucko." I reached between us and grasped his erection, giving him several lingering strokes to distract him. "Now, would you rather talk or do _this_?"

He bit harshly on his bottom lip and suppressed a moan. His hips flexed and released with the up and down motion of my hand, "_This…_ is just fine- oh, _shit_!" he closed his eyes and shivered violently as my thumb spread the clear liquid against the tip of his erection. After a moment he composed himself enough to open his eyes again. "You're rather overdressed for the occasion Miss Pataki, don't you think?" the palms of his hands cupped my breasts through the fabric of my shirt before grabbing at the hem on the bottom and lifting it over my head. He pulled me down with him against the mattress so he could roll on top of me and place several open mouthed kisses against the hollow of my throat while he worked on releasing the clasp of my bra and pulling the fabric away. I could feel his erection resting against the bare skin of my thigh and couldn't help but feel slightly distracted by it. I wanted to feel him inside of me once again, I _needed _it.

I let out a loud gasp of surprise when his hand slipped inside my underwear. "How adventurous are you feeling?" he stared down at me with an eyebrow raised.

"We're NOT doing that… _thing_." I panted. Several of his fingers were currently probing at my entrance and making it hard for me to think properly.

"I didn't mean _that_." he chuckled, "I actually… wanted to try…" I could sense the hesitance in his voice as his fingers came to a stop, leaving me a whining mess.

"Out with it already Arnold! Fuck!" I bucked my hips harshly against his stagnant fingers.

"You're always making _me_ feel good Helga… and well, I've never really returned the favor with anything but my hands before." a tinge of red appeared on his cheeks as he looked anywhere but at my face. "I've never actually done… you know… _it_ before, which is why I never tried anything too complicated with you. I'm not really one hundred percent sure what I'm doing."

_Ho-ly shit._ Arnold wanted to actually put his MOUTH on me? The thought had never really crossed my mind before now. Arnold has always managed to make me come without any extreme measures. I only used my mouth on _him_ because I knew he and I both enjoyed the experience. Was he only offering because he felt like he owed it to me? Most guys would swear that giving a female oral sex was a living hell…

After a long pause Arnold continued his ministrations and shook his head, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested it."

"No, Arnold…" I grabbed his wrist and sat up on my elbow, "Nobody's ever… done that to me before. Jason wasn't a big fan of… _returning_ oral sex." he cringed at the mention of Jason's name. It was an especially touchy subject now that the two of them had agreed to become coworkers after graduation in a few weeks. I imagine hearing details about my former sex life with him would make working with him day in and day out somewhat odd.

"So are you saying you don't want to try it?"

"Well… what if you don't like doing it?" I felt my own blush creeping up.

"I've inadvertently tasted you during the heat of the moment in the not too distant past, Helga. I'm not afraid of at least trying it out to see if we both like it. I just want you to feel as good as I do." he crawled over my smaller frame and chastely pressed his lips to mine. "It would make _me_ feel good to do this for you."

I ran my fingers through his hair a few more times and searched his face for any shadow of a doubt, but there was none… only adoration and idle curiosity. "Okay."

"Okay?" he repeated. "are you sure?"

I responded with a languid kiss against his lips, lifting my hips up off the bed and pressing my warmth against his manhood in a slow, teasing grind. He pulled his lower half away from my advances and began kissing his way down my neck and chest. He stopped briefly at my breasts to caress his tongue over each nipple then continued pressing kisses all the way down to my stomach. He would stop every few seconds to give a soft nip or a lick against my skin. It was intentional torture and it was driving me insane. Ever since the suggestion left his mouth I've never been wetter. The anticipation of such a new and unfamiliar experience was exhilarating to me. I let out a anticipatory gasp when his fingers brushed against my sex before pulling on the elastic of my underwear. The fabric was slowly pulled away from my sex and down my legs, exposing my body completely under his intense gaze. My eyes clenched shut to allow myself to just _feel_ what was happening instead of watching and overanalyzing everything like I usually do. Arnold wanted to be in control, and I was going to let him explore and do as he pleased.

"Open your eyes." it came out as a breathy command. I slowly lifted my eyelids to discover him lying on his stomach on the mattress and perched between my legs, his face only mere inches from my core. "I won't do this if you don't want me to Helga. If you're not comfortable with this-"

"I trust you football head…" my blush darkened, "and I want you to."

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he nodded shyly, "Just tell me if you want me to stop." his hands skated down my naked thighs, spreading my legs open even wider. He looked momentarily confused and intimidated with my sex on full display before him and free to play with at his will, but after a moment he seemed to mentally calm himself down a little. I didn't know why _I_ was feeling nervous all of the sudden. Shouldn't I essentially sit back and enjoy? Wasn't that the point?

Arnold lowered his mouth to give a kiss against my inner thigh, placing the kisses lower until his lips brushed the outer part of my sex before repeating the process on the other thigh. By the time his mouth reached my sex again I was already thrashing wildly and panting. I had never felt more aroused in my entire life. The first contact with his tongue to my core sent a jolt through my entire body. The shock caused me to cry out his name and make my back arch clear off the bed. He pulled his head away worriedly to look at me for reassurance that I wasn't objecting. "Don't stop football head!" I snapped. He smiled devilishly at me and lowered his head between my legs once again, this time the contact from his tongue wasn't hesitant at all. A guttural groan escaped his lips as he pressed his mouth fully against me and flicked his tongue against my clit and encased it between his lips to suckle on it gently. "Oh holy _fuck_! Arnold!" I tightly gripped his hair between my fingers and pulled his head more firmly against my core, my hips followed the motions of his tongue and ground against his mouth to their own accord. For someone who's never done this before he certainly knew what he was doing to me down there. My body was thrumming in pleasure, my heartbeat spiking and breath increasing. I've never felt _anything_ this strong before. Arnold was everything I could want in a lover and more, gentle and sweet mixed with a dark side that left me clawing his back and calling out with pleas to God. He was always surprising me somehow, and this very moment was no different. He didn't even need to ask me what felt good or what I liked, he simply read my body language and followed that accordingly. He licked and suckled every inch of my lower half to discover which areas I reacted most to. He kept repeating a swirling motion with his tongue that was driving me _mad_ and he knew it. My breaths were coming out shorter and tighter and my body was tense with concentration.

"I'm so close… God- I'm gonna… _fuck_, please Arnold!" his hands grasped my frantically bucking hips to hold them in place as he continued that delicious swirling motion against my clit. "_Arnold!_" my thighs juddered and clenched around his oddly shaped head as my body finally jumped over the precipice and into a freefall of my orgasm. Every nerve of my body seemed to spasm all at once, leaving me a trembling and sweaty mess.

As I slowly came back to reality I noticed Arnold was now laying next to me, stroking my hair and soothing me from my temporary incapacitation. "Are you alright Helga?"

Another tremor ran through me but I managed to nod weakly, "Where did you _learn_ that from anyway football head?"

He gazed at my through half lidded eyes with a hint of amusement, "I hang out with a bunch of sexually active guys. You hear a lot of tips and tricks over the years." he murmured, his teeth nibbling gently on my earlobe. "Did you like it?" His erection was pressed into my side and making it painfully aware that Arnold was still awaiting his own release.

I nodded and hummed in response, slinging my leg over his hip and bringing him closer to my warmth. "Now it's _your_ turn to feel good." I cupped his face in my hands and pulled his lips to mine. His tongue delved between my lips and I tasted something slightly bitter… _shit_, his mouth tasted like _me_. I groaned loudly into his mouth and bit his lip.

He crawled on top of me and rolled his hips over mine, his length rocking back and forth through my already sensitive folds. He reached between us to grasp himself to control the motion, strategically pressing the tip against my clit and making me hiss. I was still reeling from my previous orgasm. "Are the condoms still in the drawer?" he leaned on his elbow and reached out towards my nightstand.

I grabbed his wrist and halted him, "I want to try something tonight too."

"What is it?" he nestled himself back on top of me and stared down at me curiously.

My fingers idly stroked the side of his face, "I want to feel you inside of me… without a condom."

Arnold's eyes widened to the size of saucers, he even went as far as pulling away from me slightly. "_Excuse_ me? Helga, that's crazy talk!"

"Oh calm down you yutz!" my palm collided harshly with his forehead with a loud smack, "I'm on the pill. I started taking it again right before this whole '_no sex_' debacle started."

"_Again_?" his eyes narrowed. "You were never on the pill while we've been intimate." after the words left his mouth he seemed to understand what I had meant, "Oh God, _no_… you and Jason didn't always use condoms?" he grimaced and buried his face in between my breasts. "You're making this very difficult for me right now."

I grabbed him by his hair and forced his head up, "We were always totally safe, _just _like we've been Arnold. Me and him both agreed to get tested before anything ever took place without a condom. And _you've_ been tested too… what's the problem here?" I could literally feel his erection deflating against my thigh and I was beginning to lose all hope that we would ever have sex again.

"Why didn't you ever feel the need to tell me about this? Didn't you think I would want to know that another man _came_ inside of you in the past? _Especially_ if you're expecting me to do it too!"

"Oh yeah, I can see how _that_ conversation would have gone; '_hey Arnold, I used to take birth control when I let Jason fuck me. He really detested condoms!_' Crimeny football head! Get off your high horse. Hell, you're sitting here acting like I'm some second class whore when you probably had no problem shooting your load into the holy virgin _Trixie!_" I shoved him off of me and crawled towards the head of the bed. "Just forget I ever fucking asked, okay? You don't have to touch my body without a layer of rubber between us _ever_ again since I disgust you so much." I pulled the covers over myself to shield me from his shocked gaze. I knew I was being overly dramatic and unfair to him, but I couldn't stop my dramatics once I got started. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had become convinced that he would find any excuse possible to avoid sleeping with me, and it was making me mental the more I thought about it. A quiet but audible sob escaped me as I began to shake. Arnold had made me feel _dirty_… like my sexual past was unacceptable in his eyes.

I felt the weight shift on the bed the moment I began sobbing, he was coming towards me. His hand touched my arm over the sheet and I flinched. The other side of the sheet lifted and he crawled underneath it to lay beside me. He scooted forward until our naked flesh was completely pressed together. His arms wrapped around my waist and I continued to cry softly into his chest while he soothingly stroked my back. "_I'm so sorry Helga_." he whispered into the top of my head, "_please don't cry… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that._"

"I should have told you that stuff about Jason right from the start." I sniffed.

"I was just surprised, Helga… it needed time to sink in a little bit. I shouldn't have said the first thing that came to my mind. I'm really sorry…" his lips briefly pressed against my forehead, "You aren't disgusting or any less appealing to me because of what happened with Jason… if anything I'm… a little jealous of him." I lifted my head to gape at him, "He was pretty much your first _everything_… he got to teach you all the things I never could, and _still_ couldn't. Despite what you said before I've never had sex without a condom. Trixie hated coming in contact with sperm-"

"Okay, first of all; _ew_. And secondly; I know how you feel Arnold… I'm more jealous of Trixie than you'll ever know. She took your virginity, and no matter what you'll always have a special place in your heart for her because she was the one to make a man out of you. You've always been sentimental about that stuff… I was just the second one in your bed. There's nothing special about that-"

"My first time was _terrible_." he frowned at the memory. "Making love to Trixie was like grinding against a CPR dummy. My first time lasted a whopping two minutes. A part of me is pretty sure I only came so soon because I wanted it to end as quickly as possible. If anyone gave me something to remember it's _you_ Helga. Our first time together was… _Amazing_. Sex had never felt that way for me before. I had never felt _passion_, and you gave me that for the first time in my life." my hand sought out his under the covers and laced our fingers together. I smiled softly at him and nodded, encouraging him to continue, "At the end of my life when I look back on the people who made the most profound impact on me I know your face will flash through my mind, _not _Trixie's. It doesn't matter if she was my first or not… You were the one that mattered."

"Do you really mean that?" tears threatened to fall from my eyes again.

"Of course I do Helga… _I love you_." he placed a chaste kiss against my lips and smiled at me with the love and adoration only he could possess. "Look… I'm willing to try doing this if you still want to. You let me try what I wanted and its only fair that I return the favor." His compliance was more than tempting… but it wasn't what he truly wanted. I didn't want to make Arnold do something he wasn't going to enjoy. I should have _never_ mentioned I used birth control before. It ruined whatever slim chances I had at actually achieving no barriers sex.

"You don't have to do that Arnold… in fact, we should probably just go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow and start apartment hunting for you again. Let's just forget about this for now." I turned over on my other side so my back was to him. "Good night Arnold."

"… Are you… _mad_ at me?" he asked tentatively.

"No, I'm not."

_I'm angry with myself._

"You're doing it again." I could sense the exasperation in his voice. "Please don't shut me out Helga…" I rolled back over to face him but didn't say anything. "…_talk to me_."

This was the difficult part of our relationship that always seemed to get in the way; _Communication_. It was my weakest area. No matter how much improvement we've made in our relationship I always find myself reverting back to my old ways when things got tough. The fear of rejection looms over my head like a rain cloud. It follows me everywhere I go.

"Is my past with Jason always going to interfere with _our_ relationship? Sometimes I feel like you view me as his leftovers or something. As soon as I told you that Jason has been inside me before without a condom it was like you thought it would be an insult if you did it too." Arnold seemed surprised that I told him what was bothering me so quickly. Our talks usually included him prodding me for an hour before I broke down and told him what was wrong. Like I said, we were improving… slowly.

"I admit it's a little hard for me to get past the fact that he had you first-" I opened my mouth to protest but he quickly slapped his hand over my mouth to silence me. "I only say that _because_-… You two weren't in love. He was using you for your body. The thought of it drives me _crazy_ Helga… you deserve so much more than that. I want to be the one who gives you everything, but I'm afraid the memories from your time with Jason will always haunt you." my heart was fluttering like crazy while he spoke. Arnold wasn't just simply _jealous…_ It was beyond that. He cares about me and how I'm treated. "I love you more than you'll ever know Helga. It scares me how much, actually. I'm truly sorry if I made you feel badly about your past… I honestly do respect you." he leaned in for a kiss but hesitated once he was close enough, waiting for my permission. I curled my fingers through his hair and welcomed his gesture, plunging my tongue between his lips and tracing over every inch of his mouth. Any time we made out like this I felt like I was a teenager again, I didn't get much practice when I was _actually_ a teenager. Luckily I have Arnold who was always more than willing.

After a few minutes of rolling around on the bed the sheets became tangled along with our limbs. Arnold was resting on top of me and grinding his naked hips against me while his teeth nibbled on my lower lip. My body went completely rigid at the feeling of Arnold shunting his hips forward, the tip of his penis finding my entrance and partially sinking in. "_Arnold!_" I gasped. "I-… I thought…"

"_It's okay_." he pushed his length in a little further and whimpered at the feeling of being joined together without anything between us. The sensations wracking my own body were intense. His hips lifted briefly and thrust harshly back in to my tight heat. Wordlessly he repeated the motions, his teeth clenching tightly with every thrust of his hips. The only sounds that could be heard between us was our heavy breathing and moaning of our names. This moment was everything I had dreamed of and more, there were no words to describe how it felt to finally have _all_ of Arnold inside of me without barriers. It was perfect. I have never felt closer to him- "_Oh, fuck_! _Helga!_" Arnold gave a rough thrust and paused with a grunt and buried his head into my shoulder… and that's when I felt it. A warm sensation spread inside my lower half and I knew what exactly just happened. Both of us stayed completely frozen in our positions.

Several moments later I was the first person to break the tense silence, "Did you… just… _come_?" my eyes traveled over to my alarm clock. "After less than three minutes?"

He shakily held himself up on his arms and stared down at me in complete horror "I… am _so_ sorry!" he shifted so he could pull out and sit back on his haunches. "I-… I don't know what happened! This hasn't happened to me in _years_! I'm so sorr-"

"Arnold!" I sat up and grabbed his shoulders, giving him a little shake. "It's okay. It happens."

"I feel like such an idiot right now." he stared angrily down at his now flaccid penis.

"Condoms tend to desensitize the penis during sex. This was your first time without one, you can't blame yourself for getting overly stimulated football head." my hand gripped his arm and tugged him back down to the bed with me so we could cuddle. We laid side by side, completely entangled in one another. I soothed his hair down with my palm and kissed him all over his face still coated with a sheen of sweat. "I'm surprised you aren't seeing the bright side in this Arnold. We're gonna have to practice this _a lot_ until you get used to it." I held his index finger in front of my lips before encasing it in my mouth and sucking on it.

"_hmmm_..." his eyes watched my mouth with an intense darkness "I look forward to it baby."

* * *

_***Three days later***_

"This place is _exquisite! _So charming." Phoebe clasped her hands against her chest and stared around the room in awe. "Don't you think so Arnold?"

"It really _is_ nice." he looked just as moonstruck as Phoebe. "_Too_ nice."

Phoebe had really managed to get us hooked up today. Her roommate from college has a cousin who runs an apartment building here in Hillwood. It's a seven story building on the east side of town, the building was nothing but artsy loft apartments that just _screamed_ 'Arnold'. Her roommate got us an appointment to check out the apartment, and I could tell Arnold _really_ wanted it the longer we stayed here to look at it. The things is, it IS a nice building… niceness doesn't come cheap in the big city.

If nobody else was going to ask the tough questions here, _I _would. "So how much does this place run for a month, Miss Santiago?" Danielle Santiago was a tall, well muscled Hispanic woman in her early thirties with long flowing hair, perfectly manicured nails and a huge rack. It didn't take a penis to see that she was attractive. I noticed Arnold's surprise the moment we shook hands with her in the office building downstairs. Most apartment managers are old cranky guys with five chins.

"For a one bedroom loft like this, typical going rate in this area is $850 a month-" all three of us visibly tensed when she said the price. I could hardly pay attention to anything she was saying after that. Arnold _really_ liked this place… but it was way out of his price range. "Anyway, I have another appointment for a two bedroom place upstairs. I'll just let you guys check this place out for a bit. The door will lock behind you when you leave. Call me if you have any more question, alright?" she held her hand out to Arnold for a handshake, "It was very nice to meet you Arnold."

"Thank you Miss Santiago, I appreciate you taking the time to do this." all three of us offered her a wave as she left. As soon as the door clicked shut we all gave each other an unsure look.

"I had no idea the building ran such high rent! I'm sorry Arnold." she softly patted Arnold's arm.

He smiled weakly at Phoebe and took one last look at the apartment. He walked over towards the spiral staircase that lead to the loft style bedroom, tracing his fingers along the handrail. "I could afford to live here if I never ate again… or wore clothes." he frowned.

"I could deal with the '_no clothes_' part!" I chuckled. Two sets of irritated eyes glared at me, "Hey! I'm just trying to lighten the mood here!"

"Why don't we get out of here and get some lunch? My treat."

"You don't have to ask me twice!" I grabbed Arnold by the back of his t-shirt and dragged him towards the front door. "Onward my minions!"

An hour later Arnold still wasn't acting like himself. I get that the apartment was nice, but why was he so bummed about it? We've seen a lot of nice places for the past few weeks and he never got so worked up over any particular one until now. I wasn't going to let Arnold's pouting ruin my day with Phoebe, we let him mope at our table during lunch while Phoebe and I chatted it up about me and Arnold's upcoming graduation in two weeks. Phoebe wasn't graduating from her school this year because she was Pre-Med. She had _many_ more years left before she even thought about graduation. I finally got to tell her about my new job at a small publishing company here in Hillwood. The only people that knew about it were Arnold and Louis so far. I was _beyond_ excited to finally have some options for my future in writing. This was the _perfect _gateway to get started.

Arnold's phone buzzed in his pocket, interrupting our conversation and his sulking time. "Sorry." he muttered, fishing out his phone and checking the caller ID. "Hello?… Yeah, I'm at lunch." his brow furrowed. "Seriously? Right _now_?… Fine… _fine_! I'll be there in 15." he tapped the end call button and stood up from the table. "Sorry girls, but I need to cut out a little early. Jason called just now saying Marsden needed to discuss something with us and look over some paperwork. You don't mind do you?"

He placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned down for a quick kiss. "It's fine Arnold. Call me later, okay?"

"Sure thing baby." he stole another kiss. "See you around Phoebe. And thank you for hooking me up with that awesome apartment building. It was really sweet of you to go out of your way." he came over to her side of the table and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you two!" he darted towards the front door of Rider's and took off down the street in a hurry.

"Did he just say _Jason_ called him?" the realization must have barely dawned on Phoebe who he was talking about. "Did I miss something?"

"You know how they're both anthropology majors? Well, their professor is also a bigwig at the museum here in town, and apparently the museum is getting a San Lorenzo exhibit exclusively about the Green Eyed People. Arnold and Jason are the two he chose to archive the material. They'll be the curators once its completed."

She popped a French fry in her mouth and shook her head in amusement, "That is both amazing and horrifying at the same time."

"_Tell me about it_." I groaned. "Arnold is already acting weird about this whole Jason thing. He told me they agreed to be cool with each other for the sake of their work, which I appreciate… but I don't know how long Arnold will be able to play nice. He's expressed to me that he's kinda jealous of Jason."

"You know that secretly thrills you." she let out a high giggle and playfully nudged my arm.

"Do you think I actually _condone_ that type of archaic meathead behavior on my behalf?" I held my hand over my heart and gaped at her, "… okay, you're totally right." both of us fell into a fit of giggles.

"_Phoebe_?"

_Oh no…_

Both of us turned our heads towards the front counter to see Gerald with a to go bag in his hand and a look of shock etched on his face. His shock quickly melted into one of joy. He came toward us with a big grin plastered on his mouth and his arms held open for her, "Phoebe! I didn't know you were coming to town! Why didn't anyone tell me-"

_SMACK!_

The high pitched sound of Phoebe's hand connecting with Gerald's cheek reverberated throughout the whole restaurant. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what the hell just happened exactly. A lot of people winced while some laughed. Gerald stood there with his face still turned sideways from the impact, completely frozen in shock. Phoebe reared her hand again and smacked his other cheek. "How _dare_ you! HOW DARE YOU! Do you think you can come up to me and act like everything is just fine between us after finding out everything you've done to two of our dear friends? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING GERALD?… Who _are_ you?"

"WHOA Phoebs!" I quickly grabbed her wrist before she could strike him again. "Stop yelling! You gotta calm down."

"Phoebe… I-"

"You WHAT Gerald? What kind of excuse could you possibly have for your actions? Tell me that Gerald." she planted her hands on her hips in a very sassy, un-Phoebe fashion. She must be _really_ mad at him over this. Gerald's gaze traveled over to me, begging for my help. This was one battle I could never help him with… he made his bed and now he has to lie in it. Me and him had our own issues we were still working on and I wasn't about to get involved with whatever he has going on with Phoebe.

His eyes finally traveled back to Phoebe's unwavering glare. "I apologized for what I've done to both of them Phoebe… I made a mistake. Yes, it was a _massive_ mistake but I still tried to set things right. I never thought any of my actions would go this far and hurt so many people. I lost sight of myself… and you." I had to give Phoebe credit, she didn't instantly melt under Gerald's puppy dog look. If Arnold gives me googly eyes I'm usually a goner. "The only thing I can do now is beg for your forgiveness in hopes that someday you'll see me as the man you once cared about… the one you wanted to be with." with all eyes in the restaurant on him he got down on both knees and took Phoebe's hands in his. "Can I ever have another chance?"

Gerald was always calling Arnold '_bold_'… but I'd have to say that Gerald was taking the cake right now. Phoebe still looked pretty angry, but I think almost any girl would feel a little starry eyed in a public setting like this. She let out a deep sigh and gave his hands a squeeze, "Yes Gerald… you can have another chance." several people hooted and hollered '_Go Johanssen!'_ when he got up off his knees and gave her a tentative hug.

"I guess I'll leave you two crazy kids alone so you can… ya know… figure crap out." I grabbed my bag off the back of my chair.

"You don't have to leave Helga." she came around the table to try and set my bag back down but I wouldn't relent. I didn't really feel like staying for their inevitable '_Status of our relationship_' talk. I've been through far too many of those in my lifetime.

"I'm gonna get going Phoebs, it's fine." I gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "You can call me tomorrow. I'm gonna go back to my dorm and do some more apartment hunting for Arnold to see what I can find."

"You aren't moving in with him Helga?" Gerald came around the table to join us.

"_Me_? Move in with _him_?" my brow furrowed.

"That's actually… a rather good idea Helga. Weren't you planning on living with your parents until you found your own place? This would work out perfectly! You and Arnold could move into that loft together and split the cost. It would be in his price range then! He was _so_ excited about that place." she jumped up and down excitedly, tugging on my arm and trying to rouse the same reaction out of me. But I wasn't feeling all too giddy right now.

"You're forgetting one contributing factor Phoebe," I pulled my arm from her grasp "Arnold made it very clear he wasn't interested in having another roommate again in this lifetime."

"_You_ wouldn't be a roommate. You'd be his _girlfriend_ who happens to share an apartment with him." Gerald gave me a pointed look. "Arnold loves all that commitment crap, he'd probably get the warm and fuzzies at the very thought of having his own domestic little life with you."

"I'm not exactly a domestic goddess Gerald… I'm _not_ adorning an apron and heels and a beehive hairdo. I walk around in sweats most of the time and curse I like a sailor, _oh_ and I'm messy as hell. Arnold would HATE living with me."

"What makes you so sure?" he raised an eyebrow in question, "Arnold would lasso the moon for you Helga. Sharing his living space with you would probably give him a thrill. You would both benefit from it, so what could it hurt?"

_Damn it_. DAMN IT… I hated when people planted ideas in my head. They were most likely right about Arnold welcoming me into the apartment with him, but was _I_ ready for that type of commitment? Our relationship was rickety at best most of the time… could we really stand _living_ together? The rules would be totally different.

"I'll talk with him about it and see what he thinks, _okay_?" I huffed in defeat.

"I'm sure it'll be fine Helga. Arnold is a sweetie." she soothed.

"Sure… until he punches you in the _face_." Gerald mumbled.

Both of us turned to glare at him in unison. "SHUT UP GERALD!"

* * *

"So are you finally going to tell me where you're taking me?- OUCH!" Arnold stumbled over a large tree root that was protruding from the dirt path we were currently walking on. I had him blindfolded and was leading him to a secret location. "I let you blindfold me and put me in a car for over an hour, and _now_ we're walking around somewhere that vaguely smells like dirt. If you're planning on killing me and burying me in a deserted location the least you could do was let me see the scenery before dying."

"Maybe I drove you around the block for an hour, ever consider that football head?" I quipped.

"Oh God… please be kidding!" he began reaching for his blindfold but I slapped his hand away just before he could pull on it.

"Just a little further Arnold, I promise." I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and tugged him along behind me. When we reached our destination I reached up for his blindfold and began untying it, "you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be baby." with that, the blindfold fell from his face and he winced at the afternoon sunlight hitting his sensitized eyes. It took his several moments for his eyes to adjust before he could make out where exactly he was. "I remember this place…" he edged forward to survey the surroundings. "This is the same mountainside we hiked to when we were kids, right?" the thought seemed to resonate with him, "We _hiked_ here while I was _blindfolded_! What if I had ran into a wasps nest? Or touched poison oak?"

"You're unscathed, aren't you?" I laughed at his sudden worry about braving the 'wilderness' with just a blindfold and me to guide him. He seemed to notice now that I was carrying a picnic basket and wearing a backpack. "I wanted to do something spontaneous and fun for once. Something away from the city so it was just us, no distractions… I hope it's okay?"

He stepped closer and cupped my face in his hands, leaning down to press his lips to mine. "This is actually really sweet of you. Especially since I know how much you hate hiking." he nudged me with a wink. "What'd you bring us for lunch?" he took the basket from my hand and set it on a log to open it. "You made sandwiches?" a huge grin spread across his face, "This is seriously the cutest '_girlfriendly'_ thing I've ever seen you do!"

I could feel the giddiness bubbling up in the pit of my stomach due to his reaction to our little outing. I wanted to show him that I could at least _try_ and take care of him sometimes if I wanted to. But mainly I brought him up here to talk about moving in together, I wanted to ask him somewhere peaceful and calm so he could have the time and clarity to think about it. We've only been dating for two months now, was I overstepping some hidden line by asking him this soon if he wanted to move in together? The more time I contemplated it the more I lost my nerve to ask… it was like pulling off a Band-Aid, I just had to do it and get it over with.

If there was one way to butter Arnold up for anything it was to act like a sweet and delicate little damsel. No matter how old he gets I know it gives him a thrill. I allowed him to set up the picnic for us without protest from me, he laid down the blanket I had stowed away in my backpack and set our meagerly packed lunches out for consumption. We sat side by side, overlooking the vast mountain range below in a relative silence while we ate. Arnold seemed to be in relatively high spirits, just quiet. A part of me realized that the wilderness must remind Arnold of his parents.

_Stupid Helga! STUPID!_

"I really appreciate you doing this today Helga, honestly." he broke his silence and slung his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. I gladly fell into his embrace and laid my head on his shoulder, my hand finding his chest and idly stroking it with my fingertips. "I had no idea you were into this type of stuff… you know, romantic picnics on a Cliffside, _surprising_ me too! I like the romantic side of you." he leaned down for a kiss. It was too easy to lose my train of thought right now, Arnold was nibbling on my lower lip and caressing my upper thigh beneath his palm.

_Focus!_

I pulled away from the kiss and stared into his beautiful green eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"You remember that really cool loft we looked at with Phoebe, right?" he frowned slightly at the memory but nodded. "I've been thinking about a solution… what if you got a roommate?"

"_What_?" he blanched. "No WAY… I've had enough of that headache to last me a lifetime! I never want another roommate ever again."

_Here goes nothing…_

"Well…" I bit my lip almost hard enough to draw blood. "What if it was a _girlfriend_ instead of a roommate?" We both stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. His face was almost unreadable and it was driving me insane. I suddenly felt extremely stupid for even thinking he would want to ever cohabitate with me.

"You… really want to live with me, Helga?" he released me from his grasp and turned his body towards me. "Have you thought about what that means?"

"I _have_ thought about it… and I think it could work if you wanted to try it out. That apartment made you really excited, and I know you won't be able to afford it on your own. If we split rent we'll _both_ have someplace to stay. Being around you is just a perk." I playfully jabbed his shoulder.

"It won't be easy… living together, I mean. We'll probably want to strangle each other half the time…" Arnold was doing what he typically does; thinking out loud. He was obviously working out the kinks in his mind to come to a decision. "If we do this… it's a _really_ big commitment. Do you feel comfortable taking that step?"

"Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith." I took his hand in mine, "I want to do this only if you're comfortable with it." In the end the decision was completely up to him. I didn't want him to feel pressured to say yes simply because I had the audacity to ask in the first place. I wanted him to have this apartment because I knew it was something he really truly wanted. If he honestly didn't want to live with me I hope he could just tell me so.

"… Where do I sign?" he smiled.

* * *

I _really_ hated having to hang out with Rhonda. I mean REALLY hated it. Ever since we were kids we've always been at each others throats in one way or another. She was always looking for new ways to annoy me; and this time she's set her sights on Louis as the trigger. The girl _never_ leaves his side! Anytime I try and hang out with Louis she's always there. It was driving me _insane_! I was forced to act decent towards her for Louis' sake, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to pretend like I was okay with them dating.

"KNOCKOUT! OH YEAH! SUCK IT!" Louis hopped up from his seat and victoriously thrust his fist into the air. "It took me _how long_ to finally whoop your ass Helga?"

"Far too long to be socially acceptable _Louis_." I tossed my game controller in Arnold's lap and laid my head on his shoulder. I had a talk with Gerald earlier and we arranged a time for him to be out of the frat house so Arnold could come over and hang out with everyone. Unfortunately Danny hadn't been around since earlier that morning and Louis hadn't heard from him since.

"This is _so_ boring!" Rhonda drawled. "Why don't we do something fun snookums? Oh I know! How about _facials?_"

"_Snookums_?" Arnold chortled at the ridiculous pet name. "So tell me _snookums_, are we all gonna put that green gunk on our faces and get _pretty_?" me and Arnold gave each other a sideways glance before breaking into a fit of laughter.

Louis tossed his game controller at us and stuck his tongue out. "Hey, that stuff really does make your skin smooth! Don't knock it!" his hands absentmindedly stroked his cheeks.

"You're telling me you actually LET Rhonda play with you like a life size Ken doll?" I shook my head in disapproval. _This_ was an all time low for Louis. He hated any and all girly bullshit. If anyone in our social circle was willing to go to spas and be primped it was Danny. He was raised in the lap of luxury as an only child just like Rhonda had been. The only difference between Rhonda and Danny was that Danny acted like a decent human being when it came to interacting with other people. At least _his_ parents had taught him the meaning of humbleness.

"Oh _whatever_!" Louis flicked his hand towards us with a huff.

"Aw, no frowning Louis." Rhonda pinched his cheek at tapped the end of his nose "Remember; frowning makes wrinkles!" for the hundredth time that night Arnold burst into a fit of laughter at Louis' expense. What the hell did he SEE in Rhonda anyway? Even he could do better than someone as shallow and egotistical as Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. I knew _she_ was dating him for her own amusement, Louis' reasons were less clear to me.

"Wait! Wait a second." Louis held his hand up to silence us from our laughter. His eyes narrowed in concentration. "Do you guys hear something?" all of us fell silent and listened.

After a few seconds I could vaguely hear someone singing terribly off key in the distance. "What the hell?" I looked over at Arnold who gave a shrug, looking just as confused as me. The singing grew closer to the frat house a few moments later followed by a loud bang on the front door that caused all of us to jump together on the couch in a little huddle. The singing continued a moment later and everyone shared another look amongst each other. "Wait a minute guys… I know that voice."

"_Danny_." Louis jumped from his chair and ran to the front door to greet his best friend. As soon as Louis unlocked the door and opened it Danny came tumbling inside and landed directly on his face with a loud smack against the ground. All of us winced at the sound it made.

"_Oooh… my face hole._" he groaned, lifting his head from the hardwood floor to reveal a fresh cut on his lower lip. It didn't take a genius to see by the look in his eyes and his mannerisms that he was completely toasted.

"Good Lord, Daniel. You're _shitfaced_!" Louis motioned for Arnold to come and help him pick Danny up off the floor. "Is that what you've been off doing all day? _Drinking?_"

The two of them put each of Danny's arms around their shoulders and carried him over to the couch. "I was at a doctors appointment today." he hiccupped into the cushion of the couch. "it… _sucked_."

"What, are you sick?" I sat down on the coffee table right next to him.

He seemed to have trouble focusing for longer than a few seconds without closing his eyes and nodding off. Louis had to smack his arm a few times to jostle him back to consciousness. "The appointment wasn't really for _me_." his eyelids continued to struggle staying open longer than a second. He looked absolutely _trashed_.

"Should we just let him sleep?" Arnold glanced between me and Louis.

"I don't know man… I've never seen him _this_ drunk before. Do you think he'll be alright if we just leave him here? We should at least lay him on his side in case he pukes." everyone except Rhonda reached out to roll our intoxicated friend over.

From the looks of it, Danny had fallen several times on his way home from whatever bar he had been drinking at. He had several cuts and scrapes on his forearms and hands. As we moved him we were especially careful not to bump any of his wounds. "_Liz is pregnant._" Danny slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at Louis. All of us did a collective gasp in horror. Of all the things I imagined coming from Daniel Stockton's mouth that was definitely not on the list. I think I speak for everyone when I say _Holy. Fucking. Shit_.

"_WHAT?_" Louis fell back and tripped over the coffee table and went straight to his butt on the floor. "She's… _pregnant_? With YOUR child?"

"Who the fuck else would be the father you dipstick?" I leaned over and smacked him harshly over the head.

"Well this is certainly a lot more _juicy_ than I could have ever planned on!" Rhonda suddenly became very intrigued by this conversation.

"I swear to God Rhonda, I will rip your tongue out and make you wear it for a tie if you breathe even _one_ word about this to anyone!" I held my fist directly under her nose.

"This really isn't a joke babe." Louis had finally hoisted himself off of the ground and stood between me and Arnold with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh calm _down_." she rolled her eyes and sat back down in her original seat.

"Are _you_ alright Danny? And how's Liz taking it?" Arnold always knew the right questions to ask in times like these. It was why everyone loved coming to him for advice.

"She's terrified that I'm going to leave her or something." another hiccup escaped his lips as his eyes drowsily opened and closed. "And I'm… just plain fucking terrified and freaked out. I don't know where we went wrong! I thought we had all the bases covered!" The way his bottom lip was trembling I could have sworn he was about to burst into tears. I couldn't even imagine how Danny and Liz must be feeling right now. I never _wanted_ to know!

"I think you should get some sleep for now Danny." I took his hand in mine and gave it a little squeeze. "If you feel like talking with us when you're not so… inebriated, we'll be here for you. Alright buddy?"

"Mmkay." he yawned. "Thank you Helga."

My heart practically broke as he spoke. That was the first time he had ever used my first name. The poor guy _must_ be out of his mind…

"If you guys wanna head back to the dorms I can handle him from here. I'll talk with him tomorrow and see what's up. Maybe we can all get together for dinner or something." He looked back towards Danny and frowned. "I honestly can't believe this is happening to him."

"Me either." I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "But hey, we're all here for him… it'll be okay."

"Helga's right. We're all here for Danny. We have his back." Arnold wrapped his arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze.

Back at my dorm room Arnold and I were being eerily quiet given the life changing events that have happened in the past two hours. We both got ready for bed and got situated under the covers and now both of us laid here in silence staring blankly at my dorm room ceiling, our bodies weren't even touching. I knew neither one of us was going to be sleeping well tonight.

"I can't believe this is happening." my voice came out hollow, emotionless.

"I know." Arnold finally rolled on his side to look at me. He didn't seem as rigid as I was currently feeling about the situation. "I never thought _Danny_ would be the first of us to produce offspring."

"He's going to be another human beings _father_, Arnold! Flesh and blood… tied to him for the rest of his _life_! His life as he knows it is over."

"Well that's a very negative outlook." he placed his palm against my stomach, stroking it with his thumb. It took a lot of self control to not cringe at his touch. I was _not_ in the mood for any type of intimacy right now. "Danny might be a bit of a doof sometimes, but I think he'll be a great dad. He really does love and adore Liz… I think everything will work out-"

"You _always_ look for the bright side Arnold! Just because you _love_ someone doesn't mean having a kid together will be easy or make you a good parent." I sat up on my elbow and gave him an unsettling glare. Arnold really was clueless about the logistics of these types of things. "Some people might start out loving the idea of a child and then wind up _resenting _that kid later on for ruining their perfect little lives, and when that child grows up they'll most likely not be able to stand the idea of bringing their _own_ children into the world out of the fear of winding up like their parents and continuing the cycle!" I laid back down and covered my face with my hands. Once again I went on one of my tangents and lost my cool. Arnold seemed a little flabbergasted from my explosion. His eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape.

"Are you saying you.. _don't_ want kids someday Helga?" I could tell he was trying to read my expressions in the darkness of my bedroom. I _really_ didn't want to have this conversation NOW… This was one subject I was hoping wouldn't come along for many _many_ years. But now thanks to Danny's predicament child bearing was fresh in Arnold's mind. It made it even _more_ difficult to talk about now that we're planning on living together. What if this changed his mind?

"I have no desire to bring more Pataki spawn into this world, Arnold. Do you _blame_ me?"

"Helga… I've told you over and over already you're _nothing_ like your parents." my body tensed when he scooted closer to me. "Maybe you wouldn't want a kid _now_, but maybe someday in the future-"

"No FREAKIN way Arnold! It's _not_ negotiable." when his arm began to wrap around me I shoved him off. Nobody would change my mind about this subject, _ever_. I love Arnold and I want to be with him, but that doesn't mean I want to have any kids with him… they'll have _my_ blood running through their veins too, and I just couldn't be responsible for putting another human being through the pain of being a part of the twisted Pataki clan.

Arnold seemed to be in deep contemplation about what I said. He took my not too subtle hint and scooted far away from me and rolled on to his back. "Someone once told me that all relationships need compromise. Are you telling me you would _never_ consider having a child someday even if you were married?" his brow furrowed angrily, "Do you even _believe_ in marriage?"

I cringed at his question, he must be thinking about our future. The fact that he thought about being married to me someday made me want to swoon, but the reality was Arnold obviously wanted to have kids. "Of course I believe in marriage… but having a child is something I can't picture in my future! How am I supposed to love a child when I barely know what love is? You are the _only_ person in my little universe to show me real love. Would _you_ trust me with shaping another human being and sending them out into the world someday? LOOK AT ME! I'm borderline insane football head."

"Are you fucking _kidding_ me?" he sat up to give me an unreadable expression. I held my sheets up to my chin and stared at him with wide eyes. Usually the only time Arnold used profanity was during the heat of passion, hearing him sound so despondent because of _me_ made me feel a little guilty. "Helga, you're one of the most kind hearted and loving people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. You were raised in a living hell but it doesn't reflect on who you are today. I see someone who's afraid of the unknown, someone who has so much to offer…" he tentatively reached out to touch my face. The pads of his fingers traced the contour of my jawbone down to my lips. "I would never try and change your mind about this… All I can do is hope that someday you'll find the strength to overcome what your parents put you through." his other hand lovingly caressed my abdomen like an omen. "And maybe someday you'll want more from me."

No matter how much I wanted it I didn't feel comforted by Arnold's words. If anything I felt more worried than ever before. This was one thing I didn't think I would be able to compromise on… I couldn't force myself to do this someday simply for Arnold's sake. The thought of bringing a child into this world made me feel literally _ill_. Would he ever be willing to marry someone who was unable to give him the "_normal_" family he never had? Would I ever be enough?

* * *

**And thus ends chapter three. **

**Craziness has ensued! Haha. And to set the record straight: I am NOT pregnant in real life! (though there WILL be a scene coming up between Liz and Danny about child names that was taken directly from a conversation me and Danny had in real life!) I realize it's also probably very cliché to make someone knocked up, but I ensure you that the pregnancy has it's purpose. (it effects EVERYONE in different ways) **

**As for Helga and the 'no kids' thing, think back to the episodes "Married" and "Helga on the couch". In "Married" she envisioned her future with Arnold, did you see or hear of any children, or the desire to have them? In ARNOLD'S dream they have multiple babies only days into their marriage (haha)… In the episode "Helga on the couch" she talks about traveling the world with Arnold, etc… she doesn't picture a FAMILY with him. After the upbringing she had I wouldn't blame her for being hesitant to have her own babies.**

**As for the whole Gerald/Phoebe confrontation, I realize I didnt spend too much time on their issues. Why? because its VERY hard to properly deal with their crap from OTHER peoples POV... ya know? lol.**

**In the upcoming chapter; The gang graduates. Arnold and Gerald will come face to face for the first time in months. You'll hear **_**sober**_** Danny talk about his future baby… and perhaps Arnold will finally meet the Pataki's as Helga's boyfriend?**

**You never know what will happen next with me!**

**(as usual there are probably mistakes in this thing, but I'll try and look over it better when I'm not sleepy! Haha)**


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